Turkish children are burning Greek flags because of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's hate speech and anti-Greek rhetoric claimed Turkish basketball player Enes Kanter during an interview with Greek media.
Kanter went on to say that Erdogan's Turkey is not the Turkey he represents, but instead is a country with no democratic processes and human rights.
"Erdogan is a control freak" says Kanter. "When I heard the Turkish President say that 'we will come in a night', alluding to invading Greece, I could not believe it that he said that in public. He shouldn't be threatening Greece, a European country..." he adds.
"There are so many children in Turkey burning Greek flags, American flags because of Erdogan's hate speeches. The western leaders must do something about it".
According to Kanter, Erdogan does not understand the language of diplomacy, only the language of force.
On Wednesday, Kanter, paid a visit to the Archbishop Ieronymos of Greece while in Athens.
Kanter told the archbishop he has visited Greece several times before and believes that Turkish and Greek people "are one family". The basketball player, who is known for his activism, said that the Turks leave their country because of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who he believes does not represent most Turks. He also expressed interest in the Greek Church's philanthropic work.
The archbishop said that peoples get along and clashes only relate to individuals and expressed the hope that "God enlightens all leaders in Turkey and Greece, even in the United States, so there is a spirit of love and unity."
