An " Anzac " Threat !

For a very long time both sides who fought a war on the Gallipoli peninsula commemorate their war dead together in a spirit of peace and conciliation.  Last years centenary service required the rationing of places for Australian and New Zealand visitors because of the constricted nature of the site and next months service is expected to again draw great numbers on this Anzac commemoration.

What we now know as the actions of a lone Australian with far right sympathies attack on Mosques in Christchurch which left fifty dead and a similar number injured has thrown a pall on this Anzac commemoration.   The president of Turkey has seen fit to make a very insensitive remark that suggests that Australian and New Zealand visitors may not be safe at this years event.

Recep Tayyip  Erdogan brought religion into his speech when he warned that Australian and New Zealand fought Turkish  troops at Gallipoli " because "we're Muslims and they're Christians ".  He went on to suggest that Australian and New Zealand visitors could return " in coffins "  in retribution for the terror attack in Christchurch.

Turkey has long been an European enigma because of the pivotal position it holds between east and west.  It is a member of NATO but its military has very obvious sympathies with the terrorists in Afghanistan and its porous borders allow easy entry to a range of combatants. In the war on Islamic State it has extended more effort attacking its Kurd minority than fighting IS and these remarks were made at an election rally.  Turkish voters will shortly go to the polls and the remarks may be election rhetoric.

Erdogan is a very authoritarian president and he has used a recent unsuccessful coup attempt to stamp hard on all forms of dissent.  Turkey has long been a supplicant waiting entry to the European Union but member countries  fear that open borders would result in Turkey's huge population overwhelming their economies.  Consequently, Turkish entry has been continually rebuffed.

The Australian government has reacted to Erdogan's threat by calling in the Turkish ambassador and plainly making our displeasure clear.  There is a risk that these remarks may be taken as approval for terrorist action by religious zealots in Turkey and consequently the risk warning for Australians travelling overseas will need to be revised.

Past visitors to Turkey report the Turkish people to be both peaceful and friendly.  It is a hospitable tourist destination with a lot to offer and it is possible that Erdogan's threat may cause a drop in this years numbers as some people have second thoughts on safety.

A lot depends on what happens next.  Erdogan is known for making remarks that have not had the usual diplomatic clearance favoured by other world statesmen.  He is unlikely to apologise, but by not taking this any further it may subtly disengage and quickly become disregarded.  It will present a very real danger if it is taken up by the firebrand Imams of Turkey's Islamic State sympathizing mosques as a call to arms.

While the live screen images of the slaughter in Christchurch mosques has been removed from western television screens, it is still being repeatedly showing in Islamic countries.  It is too early to predict what outcome that will have in the way of revenge attacks.