Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has compared the ban on campaign in Germany in support of it with the Nazis. About it reports Reuters.
“You have nothing to do with democracy and you should know that your current actions are no different from the actions of the Nazis — said Erdogan at a meeting in Istanbul, referring to the German authorities. — When we tell you this, you start to get nervous. Why are you nervous?”
The reason for the statements of the Turkish President was the refusal of the German authorities in the conduct of the two meetings. Berlin has taken this step because of the arrest of a journalist of a German citizen of Turkish origin — Monday, February 27. Erdogan explained that he was arrested as a “German agent”.
According to the Agency, with the help of these meetings the official Ankara is planning to enlist the support of polutrilliona of the Turkish community in Germany on the eve of the April referendum on a new Constitution.
As explained by the German police, the refusal is concerned with issues of security during the demonstrations. However, Turkish foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu called the steps of Berlin undemocratic and said that Turkey will insist on holding rallies on the eve of the referendum on 16 April. In turn, Turkey’s economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci announced plans to visit two of them (in Leverkusen and Cologne) on Sunday, March 5.
Julia klöckner, Deputy leader of the Christian democratic Union of Chancellor Angela Merkel, outraged by the comparison with the Nazis. She noted that Erdogan “reacts like a child, not knowing where to go.”
Relations between Berlin and Ankara have deteriorated sharply after a failed coup attempt in July 2016. Then Germany condemned the Turkish government for excessively harsh measures against the rebels, and those, in turn, accused the German colleagues that they did not condemn the conspirators and did not support the actions of the authorities.