Geopolitics and Dirty Deals: Why the EU Remains Silent on Protests in Turkey

At the largest mass protest yet, hundreds of thousands took to the streets in Istanbul on Saturday. In the days prior, demonstrations had erupted across the country, with police often cracking down brutally on largely peaceful protesters.
According to government figures, around 2,000 people have been put in prison since the protests began, including several journalists. And the EU? Silent. Ursula von der Leyen managed only a brief statement, mildly criticizing Erdoğan. Turkey’s geopolitical importance and shady deals with Erdoğan to block people on the move seem to matter more than standing up for human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.
On 2 April, at least the European Parliament held a debate on the crackdown on democracy in Turkey, focusing on the arrest of Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, and the ongoing civil protests against Erdoğan’s authoritarian rule. Several MEPs from The Left voiced strong criticisms and called for an end to the EU’s cooperation with his government.
German MEP Özlem Demirel (DIE LINKE) strongly condemned Erdoğan’s regime for its suppression of protests, stating that despite bans and police violence, the people of Turkey continue to take to the streets. “Pepper spray and rubber bullets do not deter them,” she emphasized. “They know it is about their future—against oppression, for freedom and justice.”
Demirel also criticized the EU’s stance on Turkey, pointing out the hypocrisy in strengthening military cooperation with Erdoğan while condemning autocracy elsewhere. “How credible are those who deepen military collaboration with Erdoğan and make dirty refugee deals with him, while he tries to eliminate the entire opposition in Turkey?” she asked.
She called on the EU to take concrete action: “Concerned words are not enough. Stop the dirty deals with Erdoğan’s regime!”
Swedish MEP Hanna Gedin (Vänsterpartiet) brought attention to press freedom in Turkey, citing the recent arrest of Swedish journalist Joakim Medin. “He is now locked up in the high-security Marmara prison, accused of insulting Erdoğan,” she revealed. “This is absolutely unacceptable, and in Sweden, there is complete political unity on this matter.”
Gedin emphasized that press freedom is a fundamental right in the EU and warned against Erdoğan’s tactics to silence critical voices. “Journalists must be free to report, even on issues that make those in power uncomfortable,” she stated.
She urged the European Commission and Poland, which holds the EU presidency, to take immediate action: “I call on them to express clear support for Medin’s immediate release and to exert all possible pressure on Turkey to stop persecuting journalists.”
Cypriot MEP Giorgos Georgiou (AKEL) echoed similar concerns, calling out the European Commission’s reluctance to challenge Erdoğan’s authoritarian rule. “Let’s admit it: Erdoğan has you in his grip,” he declared. “He imprisons mayors, arrests thousands of Turkish citizens, and destroys his political opponents, while European leaders appease him.”
Georgiou accused EU leaders, including Ursula von der Leyen and Kaja Kallas, of ignoring Erdoğan’s autocratic behavior and instead presenting him as a guarantor of European security. “You will even hand over billions from our pockets to help him arm himself,” he said, denouncing the EU’s position as shameful.
He called for a shift in approach: “Demand the obvious from Turkey—respect for democratic principles, the rule of law, and human rights. Stop placing Europe on the wrong side of history. Or does the decline have no end?”