#BoycottFrenchProducts trends globally as President Emmanuel Macron stokes new Controversy

Turkish President Rechep Teyep Ardoan has opposed the strong French stand on radical Islam and appealed to people not to buy French products.

In a speech on TV, he said, "If Muslims are oppressed in France, then the world leaders should come forward to protect the Muslims."

French President Emmanuel Macron has said that he will protect secularism against fundamentalist Islam. Ardoan has strongly condemned Macron's statement.

Controversy over Islam has arisen after the murder of a teacher who showed a cartoon of Prophet Mohammed in a classroom in France.

A teacher named Samuel Petty was assassinated on 16 October by 18-year-old Abdullah Anzoroff.

In Islam, photographing the Prophet is a very sensitive subject and Muslims all over the world oppose it.

Why are these disputes?

In a message broadcast on TV on Monday, Ardoan appealed to boycott the goods made in France.

He said, 'Don't buy goods labeled French, don't price them.'

He said, a similar campaign is being carried out against Muslims in France as was done against Jews before the second world war.

Ardoan said that the leaders of European countries should tell the President of France to stop his hate campaign.

Earlier, Ardoan had targeted Macron and said that his mental health should be investigated.

After Ardoan's remarks, France has called and consulted its ambassador in Turkey.

After Samuel Petty's death, Macron said that he would deal strongly with radical Islam and protect the country's secularism.

Two weeks before the attack on the box, Macron said that Islam is a religion that is in trouble. He also announced to take new steps to tackle Islamic separatism.

Most of the Muslims in Western Europe live in France. Some Muslims say that they are targeted in the name of secularism.

What is the reaction in Europe?

European countries have come in support of France. Germany has expressed solidarity with Macron and criticized Ardoan's statement.

Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte has said that his country stands firmly with France. At the same time, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has also expressed solidarity with France.

He wrote on Twitter, "Private attacks do not strengthen the positive agenda that the EU wants to take forward with Turkey."

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan has accused the President of France of attacking Islam in a tweet on Sunday.

At the same time, French products are being removed from shops in countries such as Jordan, Qatar and Kuwait.

Apart from this, there have also been demonstrations against France in Bangladesh, Iraq, Libya and Syria.

The news is quoted by the Turkish Statistical Institute as saying that France is the tenth largest source of imported products in Turkey.