ANKARA, Turkey (AP) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has denounced student protesters as “terrorists” and vowed to protest against the appointment of a government loyalist as head of Istanbul’s most prestigious university .
Students and faculty members of Bogazici University have been protesting for weeks over Erdogan’s appointment on January 1 of Melih Bulu, an academic who had earlier elected parliament as a candidate for Erdogan’s party. They called for Bulu to resign as rector of the university and for the university to elect its own president, saying the appointment was an insult to academic freedoms.
Numerous students were arrested amid the protests, some taken away after raids from their homes.
“I do not accept these young people, who are members of terrorist groups, as part of our country’s national and moral values,” Erdogan said in a video speech to thousands of ruling party members holding local congresses.
“Are you students … or are you terrorists trying to raid the rector’s office and occupy it?” he asked.
Erdogan further said his government would not allow massive anti-government protests like those swept by Turkey in 2013. The protests were fueled by the government’s construction plans at Gezi Park, adjacent to Taksim Square in Istanbul.
“This country will not be a country dominated by terrorists. We will never allow it, “said the Turkish leader. “This country will not relive incidents like the Gezi rallies in Taksim.”
Tensions flared this week after a group of students were arrested over a poster displayed at Bogazici University depicting Islam’s holiest site with LGBT rights flags. The students were arrested over the weekend on charges of inciting hatred and insulting religious values.
More than 250 protesters were arrested on Monday and Tuesday after clashes with police in Istanbul. Nearly 70 people were also detained in the capital, Ankara, on Tuesday during a rally in support of Bogazici students.
Erdogan said LGBT values had “no place” in Turkey’s future.
Meanwhile, Bulu told reporters on Wednesday that he did not intend to resign from his post as rector of the university, often described as the “Harvard of Turkey”.
He reiterated that his goal was to make Bogazici one of the world’s top 100 universities.