Turkish president accuses Europe of ‘dictatorship, ‘cruelty’

ANKARA, Turkey – Turkey’s president has kept up his rebuke of European nations, accusing them of “dictatorship” and “cruelty” for keeping their frontiers closed to migrants and refugees fleeing the Syrian conflict.

Addressing an audience attending a short film competition titled “Mercy and Justice” in Istanbul Sunday, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said European nations had “no mercy and no justice.”

This week, Erdogan threw into doubt the future of a deal with the European Union which would allow Turkish citizens visa-free travel in Europe, by suggesting that Turkey wouldn’t meet a EU demand for his country to reform its anti-terrorism legislation.

His harsh words against the EU came after Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who negotiated the deal, announced he would step down later this month, following a rift with Erdogan.