Turkey's Erdogan sues German MP over 'sewer rat' remark

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erodgan on Friday began legal action against a German politician who labeled him a "little sewer rat," his lawyer confirmed.

The Cologne-based attorney said the criminal complaint, which was filed in the city of Hildesheim, alleges insult and defamation after Erdogan was "dehumanized" and his "honor was damaged" by the comment. 

The lawyer told Der Spiegel magazine that the complaint was filed against Wolfgang Kubicki, vice president of the Bundestag lower parliamentary chamber and member of the pro-business Free Democratic Party (FDP), which is in coalition with Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left Social Democrats (SPD) and the environmentalist Greens Party.

The complaint states that the term "sewer rat" must be understood in such a way that suggests Erdogan is a person "who is seen as morally neglected, morally degraded and disgusting."

The defendant (Kubicki) was not concerned with factual criticism, it argues, but solely with defamation.

The Turkish government has already summoned the German ambassador to Ankara over the remark.

Remarks tied to refugee policy

Kubicki made the remark on Monday while campaigning for next weekend's election in the northwestern German state of Lower Saxony in relation to Erdogan's refugee policy.

The complaint also suggests Kubicki indirectly accused Erdogan of using refugees and migrants as a weapon to exert pressure on the West, which his lawyer said is demonstrably untrue.

In March 2016, after 1.3 million undocumented refugees entered European Union territory — mostly through Turkey — the EU sealed a €6 billion deal with Ankara to stop people traveling irregularly to the Greek islands and onwards.

The vast majority of the migrants were Syrians escaping the conflict at home, who had first taken refuge in neighboring Iraq, Lebanon and Turkey.

Kubicki optimistic over outcome

The German politician told Germany's dpa news agency that he was not worried about a possible legal dispute with Erdogan.

"The fact that Erdogan has initiated around 200,000 such proceedings since 2014 actually says it all," Kubicki said.

He further noted that sewer rats are cute, but also "clever and devious."

mm/jcg (AFP, dpa)