MEP Winkler met the representatives of the Western Thrace Turkish Minority

Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) President Halit Habipoğlu and ABTTF Vice-President Cengiz İsmail were on working visit to Brussels. Within the mission taken place on 30 May 2013, Habipoğlu and Ismail also had meeting with MEP Iuliu Winkler. 

At his meeting with MEP Iuliu Winkler, President Halit Habipoğlu expressed concerns on increase of the number of hate motivated attacks to Western Thrace Turkish Minority. The Golden Dawn members and supporters chanting racist slogans on motorcycled convoys generated anxiety and frustration at villages populated by ethnic Turkish citizens, informed Habipoğlu. Habipoğlu reported on a deliberate movement , which targets to increase tension between Muslims and the majority in the country, and presented the hatred and insult filled letter, sent to Muslim Association of Greece (MAG), to the attention of Mr. Winkler.

Iuliu Winkler, while acknowledging the severe situation in Greece, expressed his worries to Mr. Habipoğlu and told the Hungarian minority in Slovakia and Serbia suffers from hate crimes as well. Upon these facts, Winkler stated the best and most efficient means to fight with racism and xenophobia is awareness rising through publishing attacks on social media, voice them on political arena and bringing this reality to public agenda.