Fans of Turkey’s Erdogan push French newsstand to remove ad

PARIS – Some supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have caused an outcry in France after they forced a local newsstand to remove an advertising poster for a newsmagazine that called the Turkish leader a “dictator.”

Xavier Magnin, a public official in the southern French town of Le Pontet, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that pro-Erdogan residents pressured the newsstand’s managers and workers into taking the poster down last week. The poster was put back up later while a dozen police officers provided protection.

French President Emmanuel Macron described the incident as “perfectly unacceptable.” Christophe Deloire, director of media watchdog Reporters Without Borders, said: “We must not accept the importation of dictatorial behaviour.”

The incident also has attracted attention in Turkey, where Erdogan is seeking re-election next month.