A Turkish mob was seen attacking effigies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Joe Biden outside an Istanbul mosque during Eid al-Adha celebrations on Sunday.
Mob attacks effigy of Netanyahu in Turkey
Social media clips showed the crowd, including children, tearing down and destroying the effigies while chanting "Allah is great."
Another video, also filmed outside a mosque in Istanbul, depicted crowds throwing stones at pictures of Biden and Netanyahu. Biden's image was defaced with devil's horns. A third incident in Turkey's Anatolia region showed hundreds throwing stones at an Israeli flag and a picture of Netanyahu, accompanied by chants of "Allah is great." Similar actions were reported elsewhere in Turkey, where effigies of Netanyahu were stoned, spat on and ripped apart.
Anti-Israel chants during Erdogan' parliament speech
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has taken a strong stance against Israel since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, has suspended trade and accused Netanyahu of war crimes. He also linked Israel to past military coups in Turkey, asserting, "Don’t forget the military coup on September 12, 1980, which happened right after the massive demonstration for Jerusalem in Konya. Don’t forget the coup on February 28, 1997, which took place right after the Jerusalem Night event in Ankara. Don’t forget that the failed coup attempt in 2016 was carried out by Zionist operators,” Erdoğan told the Turkish parliament last April.
He compared Israel's actions in the war to those of Nazi Germany and pledged support for Hamas.