Erdogan Sets Up Political Party for ‘People with Foreign Roots’ That Will ‘Stand Against Anti-Muslim Racism’ in Germany

Turkey’s President has set up a political party for ‘people with foreign roots’ in Germany that will ‘stand against anti-Muslim racism’.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that the Democratic Alliance for Diversity and Awakening (DAVA), which was officially created on January 7, would take part in the European elections happening in June this year.

The party, which is an affiliate to the leader’s own party in Turkey, the AKP, has prompted immediate backlash and concern from other parties in Berlin.

Cem Özdemir, Germany’s agriculture minister who has a Turkish migration background wrote on X: ‘An Erdoğan offshoot running for elections here is the last thing we need.’

While Jens Spahn, deputy leader of the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) the largest opposition party, also wrote on X: ‘An Erdogan-AKP offshoot in Germany would be another extreme party in the country.’

This comes after the law was changed last month that made it possible for those living outside of the EU to hold dual-citizenship in Germany, which has the potential to give 1.5 million Turks living in Germany the vote

‘We are currently seeing parties springing up everywhere, and their sole purpose and exercise is to ultimately tear Europe apart from within,’ German liberal lead candidate Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann told Die Welt when asked about Dava.

The new party is expected to be headed by Teyfik Özcan, who has insisted that the party finances will all be raised domestically – in Germany it is illegal to receive funding from foreign countries.

Last August Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, BAMF, reported that more than 23,000 Turkish citizens had applied for asylum in the country so far that year, which was a sharp increase of 203% over the same period last year.

The rise in smaller fringe groups into their politics including the ‘Value Union’ party which stands on the right of the CDU.

On Saturday pro-Russian politician Sahra Wagenknecht launched her new populist alliance BSW, mixing leftist welfare with restrictive migration policies and a strident anti-war message.