German parliament condemns threats against lawmakers of Turkish origin

Germany’s lower house of parliament, known as the Bundestag, has condemned in the strongest terms the threats against its members of the Turkish origin over their role in a resolution that recognizes Turkey’s killing of the Armenians in mid-1910s as “genocide.”

Norbert Lammert, the president of the Bundestag, rebuked on Thursday the new wave of threats against the lawmakers, saying imposing pressure on individual members of the German parliament would mean a threat against the entire chamber.

“Every person that tries to put pressure on individual lawmakers with threats must know they are attacking the entire parliament,” Lammert said, adding that the German parliament would respond with all legal options.

The reported death threats against the lawmakers came after the Bundestag voted on June 2 to recognize the 1915-1916 killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire as “genocide.”

The move sparked a serious backlash in Turkey, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lashing out at lawmakers with Turkish origin for their approval of the resolution. Erdogan even said those people have tainted blood and that their blood must be tested in a lab.

Lambert said he was shocked that threats against the parliamentarians had been backed by high-ranking politicians.

Officials in the German government have also condemned Turkey’s stance regarding the resolution, with Chancellor Angela Merkel dismissing the reaction as “incomprehensible.” Merkel has tried to forge an alliance with Erdogan in tackling Europe’s refugee crisis.

SS