Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan screamed an anti-Israeli slur at a Turkish citizen during protests against him in the city of Soma, where earlier this week nearly 300 coal workers were killed when a mine collapsed.
Video footage of Erdoğan being surrounded by angry protesters show him insulting a protestor with the words: "Why are you running away from me, Israeli sperm?" In Turkish, this is a widely used slur.
In the footage of the incident published online, the embattled Turkish leader is seen surrounded by security personnel who proceeded to beat the man following the incident. Erdoğan has come under heavy criticism following the mining accident for not supporting social security benefits for miners and for failing to require coal mining companies to use updated equipment, which might had saved many lives.
Late last year, a group of Erdoğan’s supporters shouted “are you Jewish” as they attacked a woman as she was walking in the streets of Istanbul, according to a report. The woman posted pictures on Twitter which showed bruises on her face and body, according to the 'Algemeiner' news website.
Erdoğan and his allies have also blamed “international groups” and the “Jewish Diaspora” for unrest that rocked the country last year.
