We cannot say that we have not been warned:
Some six months ago, Turkey’s president, explained that his craving for more
power, has precedent and brought Hitler’s Germany as an example.
Now we have stage II: In the aftermath of
last week’s putsch attempt, thousands, probably tens of thousands, have been
arrested. Erdogan, who has promised to bring in the death penalty, explained
that "they will pay a heavy price for this. This uprising is a gift from
God to us because this will be a reason to cleanse our army."
Erdogan spoke of the need to “clean the
virus responsible for the coup.” The virus being the purported "terror
group", led by Erdogan’s former associate, Fethullah Gülen.
Going back to the role models, brings to
mind the “night of the long knives”, in which Hitler had the head of the SA,
Ernst Röhm, killed. Röhm had been a close friend and ally, who had become too
powerful for the rest of Hitler’s team. As Hitler and his associates set to
dismantle Röhm’s organisation, Hitler explained, “I gave the order to cauterise
down to the raw flesh the ulcers of this poisoning of the wells in our domestic
life.”
Virus or ulcers poisoning the wells…
Metaphors change.
