This is where Turkish President Erdogan bears more responsibility than merely just bad timing or being insensitive remarks.
In recent weeks, Erdogan and senior government ministers in Ankara have been engaging in a reckless war of words with the EU, which can be viewed as bordering on incitement.
Erdogan has repeatedly accused Germany and The Netherlands of acting like Nazis and fascists. He has condemned the whole of the EU as being racist and anti-Islam.
Just last week, Erdogan claimed that Dutch UN peacekeeping troops were responsible for the Srebrenica massacre in 1995, when up to 8,000 Muslim men were killed by Serb forces. Erdogan said the Dutch had the blood of Muslims on their hands.
Ankara's fit of rage stems from European governments blocking political rallies being held in their cities by Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party. Those rallies are aimed at mobilizing Turkish expatriates to vote in Turkey's referendum next month, which is being held to endorse increasing constitutional powers for Erdogan's presidency.
Erdogan's grip on power has already become increasingly autocratic since the attempted coup against his rule failed last July.
In order to push Turkish voters to back his sought-after constitutional changes, Erdogan is evidently whipping up patriotic fervor and in particular Islamist fervor by indulging in a war of words with the EU.
Denouncing European states as anti-Islamic and racist may gain Erdogan votes. But such incitement has consequences. This war of words is not an abstract phenomenon. It risks inflicting real human casualties, as Europe has all-too often witnessed over the past year.
If EU governments had any spine, they would hold Erdogan legally to account over his potentially seditious behavior.
But the supine EU is too busy trying to keep the Turkish sultan sweet so that he doesn't open the refugee floodgates from the wars that European governments have been stoking across the Middle East and North Africa.
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