Prof. Erez: Standing Against War isn’t ‘Terrorist Loving’

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We’ve spoken with İstanbul Chamber of Medicine Chair Prof. Dr. Selçuk Erez about President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan calling the Turkish Medical Association (TTB) “terrorist lover” due to the association’s declaration “entitled “War is a Matter of Public Health” that opposed the military operation launched into Afrin.

Saying that “We as doctors always prefer peace over war”, Prof. Erez went on:

"This cannot be interpreted as terrorist loving"

“Our sensitivity naturally increases when it comes to a war that will end the life our soldiers, in other words our children. However, our sensitivity applies to our neighbours as well. This cannot be interpreted as terrorist loving.

“If the TTB’s declaration is read carefully, it will be seen that what is emphasized is there not loving terrorist but a worry and desire to prevent the disasters, humanitarian tragedies, hospital destructions and killings of health care workers that will be caused by war.

“This attitude cannot be interpreted as terrorist loving”.

“A human loving attitude”

We asked Erez about TTB being accused of not being “national”.

“Wishing that the children of our country and neighbours don’t die is a patriotic, humanitarian attitude. If rejecting war and wishing that our children don’t die is not national, then what is?”

Call by pro-government unions

On the other hand, two pro-government unions, the Union of Health Care and Social Service Workers (SAĞLIK SEN) and Confederation of Union of Civil Servants (MEMUR-SEN) called for protesting the TTB due to the aforementioned declaration on Monday (January 29).

Evaluating the call, Prof. Dr. Erez said, “It is everybody’s democratic right. May they come”.

(EKN/TK)