#Sofagate: Outrage on social media as Ursula Von der Leyen is denied a chair at EU-Erdogan meet
Some users also called the incident a ‘diplomatic fiasco’.
A video from a meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of the European Council Charles Michel, and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has become quite popular on social media. The reason?
Von der Leyen was the only person left standing, and was forced to sit on a sofa at a short distance, while the other two male leaders took the chairs and left her out – at a meeting where women’s rights were on the agenda.
Von der Leyen was visibly irritated and let out an “ehm” while the two men seated themselves comfortably in the more prominent positions. The incident took place during a meeting in Ankara, Turkey on Tuesday.
This sparked criticism on social media, with many expressing their views with the trend #Sofagate.