Germany's Oney sparks anger with remarks targeting Turks

A recent statement by a German state minister of Turkish origin working on the integration issue, to the effect that Turks are a source of unrest within German society, has sparked harsh reactions from Turkish immigrants. Bilkay Oney, a member of the Green-Social Democratic Party (SPD), took over as the integration minister of Baden-Württemberg in May. In her remarks, published by German Sunday newspaper Welt am Sonntag, Oney defended Germany's visa regime for Turkish citizens, a regime which has garnered complaints from both Turkish officials and Turkish immigrants. “The more Turks are in the country, the more unrest there will be in the country,” Oney was quoted as saying. In an apparent criticism of Turkish immigrants' intellectual level,.the Berlin Turkish Society, in a written statement, called Oney's remarks “discriminatory, offensive and aggressive,” while Hilmi Kaya Turan of the Germany Turkish Society, also based in Berlin, said that his organization was shocked by Oney's remarks. Turan also said these remarks could strengthen existing prejudices against the Turkish immigrant community in the country.