Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday condemned the US authorities` response to ongoing pro-Palestinian protests in universities across the United States.
"We, like the rest of the world, have been following the events in American universities for the last week with great interest," Erdogan told a conference on Palestine in Istanbul.
Protesting students have been "threatened" in Western colleges, Erdogan said.
"We have seen how those who have lectured us for years about democracy and freedom of expression and assembly suddenly become fascist when it comes to Israel and Israel's interests."
Erdogan`s government has itself been criticized of suppressing student and academic protests after the president appointed an unpopular rector at the country`s top university Bogazici in 2021.
Several elite universities in the US have cracked down on the Gaza protesters and their encampments, including by calling in the police and making many arrests. They accuse some participants of making anti-Semitic statements.
In his speech, Erdogan reiterated his support for the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Israel responded to the Hamas-led rampage on October 7 that killed 1,200 in the south of the country with a massive military operation throughout Gaza.
According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, more than 34,000 people have been killed in Gaza over the past six months.