EU officials stand behind Holland in diplomatic spat with Erdogan

March 15, 2017

The president of the EU Council says Erdogan, who accused the Netherlands of engaging in fascism, is “detached from reality.”

European Union (EU) officials are standing behind the Netherlands in its diplomatic spat with Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan, who accused the Dutch of engaging in fascism and Nazi policies.

“If anyone sees fascism in Rotterdam, they are completely detached from reality,”Donald Tusk, president of the EU Council, told the European Parliament on Wednesday. “We all show solidarity with the Netherlands.”

The European Commission’s chief, Jean-Claude Juncker, said he was “scandalized” by Erdogan’s remarks.

“If you are establishing a comparison with the (Nazi) period, this is totally unacceptable,” Juncker said. “The one who is doing this is taking distance from Europe and not trying to enter Europe.”

Erdogan made his accusations against the Netherlands after the Dutch government banned Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu from addressing a rally in Rotterdam on Saturday. Cavusoglu was campaigning to garner support from Turkish immigrants for a referendum that would expand the powers of the Turkish presidency.

Erdogan had made similar remarks against Germany.

In a statement, the Dutch government said that it “could not cooperate in the public political campaigning of Turkish ministers in the Netherlands.”

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By: Jonathan Benedek, World Israel News