President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2024-2025 Higher Education Academic Year, strongly criticized Western governments for their response to the Israel's inhumane actions in Gaza, stating that they had "failed a humanity test" by protecting Israel during the Gaza genocide.
He highlighted the harsh treatment faced by individuals speaking out against the situation in Gaza, noting that "students who said 'there is a genocide in Gaza' were subjected to police violence, dragged on the ground."
He condemned the actions taken against university administrators who allowed pro-Palestinian protests, mentioning that "rectors who permitted demonstrations for Palestine were forced to resign, lynched, and interrogated by the U.S. Congress."
Erdoğan pointed out that students participating in peaceful demonstrations were openly threatened with statements like "you will never find a job in your life."
He also criticized the influence of "Zionist capital," which he claimed controls the world's top universities under the guise of donations and funds, and emphasized that this is an undeniable reality.
Concluding his remarks, Erdoğan stressed that Western governments had lost their credibility by protecting Israel at the cost of their own reputations during the Gaza crisis.
