Turkey renames new US embassy street after Malcolm X

Turkey has renamed the street of the planned location of the United States embassy after American black Muslim civil rights leader Malcolm X in an apparent symbolic snub to the United States.

City workers changed the street’s road sign on Thursday amid ongoing construction at the planned embassy site in the Cukurambar district in the capital city of Ankara.

The avenue was formerly known as "1478 Street".

Ankara’s city council announced the name change last month.

“The street was given the name of US Muslim politician and human rights defender Malcolm X, about whom President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, ‘We will make his name live on in Ankara,’” said Ankara’s municipality citing the Turkish president in a statement released at the time.

Erdogan made the quoted statement regarding the late civil rights leader after meeting with the figure's daughters on the sidelines of the 73rd General Assembly of the United Nations in New York last September.

Malcolm X, regarded as one of the most influential African American civil rights figures in history, was a staunch critic of the US establishment and a proponent of revolutionary politics for Black self-determination in the country.

The black civil rights leader was also known for being critical of the US government's foreign policies. 

Ankara’s move to honor Malcolm X at the US diplomatic mission is seen as a meaningful diplomatic snub to the US government, specifically at a time when the current US administration is accused of having racist tendencies.

Last year, Turkey renamed the street where the United Arab Emirates embassy is located to honor an Ottoman governor of Medina.

The move came after UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan made statements about Ottoman forces plundering the holy city.

A few months later, Turkey also symbolically changed the street name of the current US embassy to "Olive Branch", referring to the name of Turkey’s January offensive against Kurdish forces in the northeastern Syrian city of Afrin.

The name-change came in dismissal of Washington’s criticism for the military operation.

Turkey’s recognition of Malcolm X comes as Ankara and Washington have experienced further tensions in past months.

US support for opposing Kurdish forces in Iraq and Syria, US residence for opposition figure Fethullah Gulen, along with the recently settled row over American pastor Andrew Brunson are among some of the issues that have ruptured the two countries’ relations.

Many observers believe Turkey’s growing ties with countries like China and Russia signal Ankara’s weakening ties with its long-time US ally.

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