 have moved to ensure the suspension of a university in southeastern Turkey from Erasmus, the European Union student exchange program, and the halting of EU funds to the university due to its alleged support for Islamic militant group Hamas, the Gazete Duvar news website reported on Thursday.){kind=link}
A group of French politicians in the European Parliament (EP) have moved to ensure the suspension of a university in southeastern Turkey from Erasmus, the European Union student exchange program, and the halting of EU funds to the university due to its alleged support for Islamic militant group Hamas, the Gazete Duvar news website reported on Thursday.
The Gaziantep Islam, Science and Technology University (GİBTÜ) will no longer be able to receive EU funding of €250,000 nor will its students be able to take part in student exchange programs.
The far-right French MEP Fabrice Leggeri announced the decision on X on Thursday, saying that the decision against GİBTÜ was made due to the university’s support for Hamas. He accused the EU of turning a blind eye to its “indirect funding of Islamist terrorism.”
“Thanks to our efforts, the 250,000-euro grant awarded to the Turkish university in Gaziantep, which supports Hamas, was finally suspended. … It’s time for the European Commission to open its eyes and stop European money from funding barbarism,” Leggeri said.
L’UE continue de fermer les yeux sur son financement indirect du terrorisme islamiste, et la Commission ment en niant l’évidence !
Grâce à nos interventions, la subvention de 250 000 euros accordée à l’université turque de Gaziantep, qui soutient le Hamas, a finalement été… pic.twitter.com/MotKuRIDQ4
— Fabrice Leggeri (@FabriceLeggeri) October 10, 2024
GİBTÜ officials, when reached by Gazete Duvar, said they will not make an official statement about the EP’s decision and that the Turkish Foreign Ministry and the Higher Education Board are closely following the development.
The reason for the decision to revoke GİBTÜ’s participation in the €250,000 grant program was a social media post of the university’s rector, Şehmus Demir, following the assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31, Gazete Duvar reported.
“May God accept his martyrdom,” Demir said in a tweet following Haniyeh’s death.
Rabbim şehadetini kabul etsin… pic.twitter.com/FaWgLHArsG
— Şehmus Demir (@sehmusdemir_) July 31, 2024
The assassination of Haniyeh, who was a key figure in Hamas and a symbol of Palestinian resistance, was condemned by Turkish political leaders, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan denouncing it as a “shameful act” undermining the Palestinian cause.
The decision to suspend the university from the Erasmus Program comes a few days after the first anniversary of Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, which sparked a new war between Hamas and Israel that is still continuing.
Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which began following the Hamas attack, has led to more than 42,000 casualties and massive devastation, according to the health ministry in Gaza.
Turkey does not recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization. Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader and President Erdoğan has hosted members of Hamas many times over the years, and the country is known as a safe haven for Hamas operatives.
Erdoğan describes Hamas militants as “liberators” fighting for their land and people.