Increased Criticism and Verbal Attacks Between Senior Officials of Turkey and Europe

Following escalating tensions between several European countries and Ankara regarding the cancellation of Turkish government promotional events in some European cities, verbal attacks and criticisms between the two sides have continued at the senior official level. In recent days, several European countries have halted Ankara's promotional activities aimed at voting in the constitutional referendum, citing security concerns. The new constitution is expected to increase the powers of the president and concentrate power in this institution. Early Sunday, Dutch riot police intervened to end a several-hour gathering of supporters of Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Rotterdam. Hours earlier, the landing of the Turkish Foreign Minister's plane in the Netherlands was canceled, and the Turkish President described the Netherlands as 'the remnants of the Nazis,' similar remarks he made after the cancellation of his government's promotional events in Germany. Erdogan's attacks have continued in recent hours. According to Turkey's state news agency, Anadolu, the president stated on March 12 that 'the true face of Europe has been revealed.' During a speech in Istanbul, he again used the term 'fascist' and stated that recent events are 'signs of increasing racism, fascism, and Islamophobia' in Europe. Erdogan has also called for 'sanctions' against the Dutch government, referring to it as a 'banana republic,' a term used in political science to describe petty dictatorships and unstable governments led by mafia or closed groups. However, Erdogan's verbal attacks have not gone unanswered. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte stated that Ankara should apologize for using the terms 'Nazi' and 'fascist.' Euronews quoted Rutte as saying, 'Some Turkish politicians speak about the Netherlands using Nazism and fascism. As the mayor of Rotterdam said, this country was bombed by the Nazis during World War II. It is completely unacceptable to speak about the Netherlands in this way. They should apologize for their words.' Thomas de Maizière, Germany's interior minister, also stated on Sunday that he opposes the political campaigns of Turkish ministers in his country and that there are legal ways to prevent these promotional activities. De Maizière told the ARD network, 'The Turkish [promotional] campaign has nothing to do with Germany.' Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, also described the characterization of Germany as 'the remnants of the Nazis' as 'sad.' Regarding the Turkish government's promotional campaigns in Germany, she said, 'We still consider this possible if their request is made in a timely, appropriate, and clear manner.' Previously, several Turkish government campaigns in Austria and Switzerland had also been canceled. There are approximately 116,000 Turkish nationals living in Austria, a country with a population of nearly 9 million. The Turkish embassy in Washington estimated the number of Turkish nationals in Germany in 2011 to be over 4 million. German law does not allow its citizens to disclose their ethnicity - for example, in censuses. Estimates suggest that between 400,000 and half a million Turkish nationals also reside in the Netherlands, comprising about 2.5% of the country's population.