A city council member from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has made antisemitic remarks, including praise for Adolf Hitler for killing Jews, to condemn a hospital strike in the Gaza Strip, the Onedio website reported on Wednesday.
Situated in the heart of Gaza, the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, managed by the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, was hit on Tuesday evening when it was overflowing with Palestinians seeking refuge as a result of a series of Israeli aerial assaults throughout the heavily blockaded Gaza Strip.
The attack killed at least 500 people and injured hundreds, according to Palestinian officials.
While the health ministry in Gaza said the blast at the hospital was caused by an Israeli air raid, Israel has attributed the explosion to a misfired rocket launched by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) armed group. The PIJ has denied the allegation.
Süleyman Sezen, a city council member from the ruling AKP in Samsun’s Atakum district, blamed Israel for the hospital attack during Wednesday’s meeting, referring to it as a “terrorist state” and praising Hitler for killing Jews.
“One day you will curse me for every Jew I did not kill,” Sezen said, citing a quote attributed to Hitler.
Sezer said that while everyone has accused Hitler of being a racist, his statement about the Jews was indeed accurate.
“Today, I once again remember Hitler with gratitude because of the Zionist Israel that stirs up the world and the people [Jews] responsible for all evils,” the politician said.
“And I condemn Israel. Hopefully, the end of this state of terror will come soon, and after the world is cleansed of Jews, peace and tranquility will be achieved,” he continued.
Süleyman Sezen, Atakum city council member from #Turkey's President #Erdogan's ruling party AKP, praises Hitler for killing Jews, says Jews are behind all evils & the world will be better off if all Jews get exterminated.
Nobody challenges his horrible remarks.#Antisemitism pic.twitter.com/fGKGqaOvNG
— Abdullah Bozkurt (@abdbozkurt) October 18, 2023
An Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945, Hitler rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming chancellor in 1933 and then assuming the title of Führer und Reichskanzler in 1934. He started World War II in Europe by invading Poland in 1939, was closely involved in military operations throughout the war and was central to the perpetration of the Holocaust, the genocide of 6 million Jews and millions of other victims.