EGG ATTACK AGAINST BAGIS

Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis made a statement about the egg attack mounted against him which caused hyperemia and swelling under his eye during his attendance at unveiling of the "Burning Sculpture" made of ceramic clay by Danish artist Nina Hole at the Aegean University.

In his statement Minister for EU Affairs Bagis said:

“I had said it before and I repeat it now. Throwing eggs, tomatoes, stones or Molotov cocktails isn’t a democratic right but a form of violence. As long as there exists a group of people showing off at the parliament rostrum in business suits, pontificating about the issue in their corners saying these are students showing their democratic reaction and launching lynching campaigns in social media against the ones who were targeted at and not against the ones hurling the eggs, unfortunately we continue to see these types of deviant behaviour. The mentality that considers protest and opposition as throwing eggs is bound to fail in democracies.

While I leave the legal aspect of this attack I suffered during my public service as a minister of this country to the relevant authorities, I would like to stress the point that hurling eggs aiming at a human’s eye directly from a distance of just 1 meter is not a protest but an attack. No one can give us a message by this act or similar acts of violence. I refuse and trash this kind of a message. Izmir has a special place in my heart and it will continue to have it in the future. Izmir will also continue to be one of the most visited cities during my service as a Minister.”

In his statement to the members of the press Bagis also said:

“We experienced an unpleasant incident while we were unveiling an authentic piece of art. Very young minds who are pawns of pathetic mentalities thought it an art to throw eggs to a Minister of Turkish Republic. I wish the students had eaten the eggs instead of hurling them; they would have met their protein needs. I am not angry with those students who mounted that attack, but rather I pity them. I feel sorry for those students since they are tools of those using them as trigger men. Instead of strengthening the brotherhood fabric of this country and thinking how to make Turkey a more developed country, they let themselves be used by certain circles.”

Indicating that for this reason they allocated a budget for education more than ever in the history of the Republic, Bagis said, “That the mentalities which are the last representatives of the status quo which can’t even bear considering differences as richness poison these young people is a process to which we must all give careful thought together. We also gave an appropriate response in the EU process to a parliamentarian who couldn’t stand the differences and who attempted to overstep his limits. We are colleagues of a Prime Minister who is filled with love of service in order to embrace all people without making any discrimination on grounds of religion, language, race or political view. These types of incidents or initiatives can in no way prevent us from having love of service for this nation but stimulate it.”