BOYCOTT ON WAY
The New Anatolian, Turkey
Oct 16 2006
Friday saw calls for a sweeping boycott of French goods in response
to the passage of a controversial bill seeking the punishment of
deniers of Armenian genocide claims, despite protests and pressure
against the bill in both Turkey and Europe.
The Turkish Consumers’ Rights Union on Friday called for a firm boycott
until France withdraws the bill, which would make it a crime to deny
Armenian genocide claims in France.
The first calls for a total boycott came from politicians this week.
However there were also deputies who rejected the calls for strong
economic sanctions, underlining the country’s economic situation.
A similar move was seen in Turkey in 1998, when it emerged that
Abdullah Ocalan, the now-imprisoned leader of the terrorist Kurdistan
Workers’ Party (PKK), was being sheltered in Italy.
Italian goods were boycotted and several street demonstrations took
place where angry people burned that country’s products.
During the boycott, state-owned Ziraat Bank declared that it would
not grant loans for the purchase of tractors or other Italian farming
equipment. Several Italian firms were disqualified from significant
contracts that also did harm to the Turkish economy. The Turkish
government also blacked out Italian TV stations, and Turk Telecom
suspended all commercial ties with Italian companies.
The consumer group has urged the public to boycott a French company
operating in Turkey to be nominated by them each week, with French
petrol giant Total chosen by the organization as the first target.
Bulent Deniz, head of the group, in a written statement released
on Friday, said that the boycott is meant to punish France and show
Turkish resolve. He also urged the public to maintain their stance
until the French deputies reconsider their mistake.
Stressing that it is a dangerous move to boycott a country’s goods
in a globalizing economic system, Deniz said that this is a last
resort that has to be tried. He added that they will add another
French company to the boycott drive each week.
Total has almost 500 gas stations throughout the country and earned
$2.5 billion in revenue last year.
A similar call came from the Turkish Tradesmen and Artisans
Confederation (TESK) on Friday, which said that all French goods
should be removed from store shelves.
TESK, which represents many professional chambers and federations
as well as individual artisans and tradesmen, called on its
sub-federations, chambers and individuals to follow their call.
"The Turkish government, which rules over 70 million people, should
pay the price of a small group of Armenians who are playing with
the rest of the world through lies," said TESK head Dervis Gunday,
accusing the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party government of
failing to block the passage of the French bill.
He also criticized the Swedish Royal Academy’s decision to award the
Nobel Prize for Literature to Orhan Pamuk, a celebrated Turkish writer
who earlier stood trial on charges of insulting Turkishness for saying,
"1 million Armenians and 30,000 Kurds were killed in these lands."
"It’s very interesting that a Turkish author who has advocated the
so-called Armenian genocide claims won the Nobel Prize on the very
same day the French bill was passed," added Gunday.
Turkish business groups also called for a boycott or similar economic
sanctions, including barring French companies from participating in
state tenders.
Small- and Medium-Sized Industrialist Exporters’ Association of Turkey
(MUSIAD) head Omer Bolat also said on Friday that any boycott should
be firm.
"French companies should be excluded from tenders regarding the
environment, transport, energy and defense sectors," said Bolat,
whose proposal was welcomed by the Ankara Chamber of Commerce (ATO)
and several other business groups.
Deputy returns Peugeot
In a move to protest the French decision, a deputy on Friday asked the
Parliament Speaker’s Office to replace his government car, a Peugeot.
Center-right Motherland Party (ANAVATAN) deputy group leader Suleyman
Saribas said he was ashamed of having a French car and urged others
to follow his move.
"If the state has no other car to allocate to me, I will use my own
car," said the deputy.
He also said the Customs Union agreement between France and Turkey
should be suspended.
He also joined in the boycott calls, adding that there should be a
customs quota for French goods.
Arinc urges calm
Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc, who on Thursday delivered a stern
statement criticizing France, on Friday urged, "We should stay calm."
"We can’t achieve anything by shouting, insults or burning flags,"
he stressed, while praising behavior that expresses the Turkish
position in a cool-headed manner.
He expressed his appreciation of Hrant Dink, a Turkish journalist of
Armenian origin who on Thursday said he would go to Paris to violate
the bill if it becomes law, and to Mesrob Mutafyan, the Turkish
Armenian patriarch who also scolded France for its move.
He also proposed the release of a common manifesto by academics,
led by the head of the Board of Higher Education (YOK), on the matter.
He also said that France, with this move, has betrayed its own values
and long-established principles.
In another written statement, the Confederation of Turkish Employers’
Labor Unions (TISK), said that they will of course show their reaction,
but will also consider the economic interests of the country and the
Turkish people.