Military coup underway in Turkey

With flair but scant success, Turkey aims to repair image

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) March 10, 2017 — On a mission to rehabilitate its image, Turkey is instead inching closer to being an outcast among Western nations that seem to understand their NATO ally less and less each day.

n to rehabilitate its image, Turkey is instead inching closer to being an outcast among Western nations that seem to understand their NATO ally less and less each day.

Eight months after a failed coup shattered its delicate status quo, Turkey is mounting a concerted but thus-far futile campaign to persuade the outside world that the horrors of that day justify both its post-coup crackdown and plans for a referendum on strengthening presidential powers. So too has Turkey been unable to convince the U.S. that the shadowy, exiled cleric it blames for the coup attempt is culpable and must be extradited.

Squeezed between Europe and the Middle East, Turkey has sought to project an image of a modern democracy that serves as a bulwark against the extremism menacing so many of its Mideast neighbors. Yet a series of self-defeating steps are telling reminders of how wide a gulf still separates Turkey from the Western world.

"I'm not saying that we're perfect. We're not. I'm not saying that mistakes aren't being made," said Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek. But he said the outside world must "at least try to understand the traumatic experience that Turkey has been going through."

This week, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seemed to aggravate concerns when he accused Germany of "Nazi practices" after Turkish leaders had been prevented from rallying expats in several Germany cities in support of the referendum. Many in Europe worry that Erdogan is capitalizing on post-coup fears to push through a more authoritarian system with few checks on his power.

For Europe, there are real risks if Turkey feels estranged and mistreated. The country is pivotal to resolving the unrelenting civil war in neighboring Syria, where Turkey and the U.S. are at a logjam over Turkey's distrust of the Syrian Kurdish fighters the U.S. is relying on to fight the Islamic State group. And though Turkey's bid to join the European Union has lost momentum, Turkey holds major leverage by way of its deal with the EU to stem the flow of refugees into Europe, which Turkey has threatened to scuttle.

Turkey's inability to make its case to the West effectively was displayed this week in the capital, Ankara, whose mayor invited a group of American journalists to interview Erdogan and other top officials, including Turkey's foreign minister, intelligence chief and military commander.

After flying to Turkey, the journalists discovered there were no interviews arranged with those officials. Instead, they spoke with other officials, including the mayor, Melih Gokcek, a member of Erdogan's party. He screened graphic videos aiming to reinforce how traumatic the coup attempt had been. Then he offered unfounded conspiracy theories that the U.S. created the Islamic State group and that the U.S. and Israel colluded to artificially trigger an earthquake in Turkey so they could capture energy from the fault line.

Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag, who also met with the visiting group, claimed no journalists in Turkey are in prison for their work even though scores have been arrested. Since the coup attempt, at least 100 news outlets have been forcibly closed in what Human Rights Watch has called a clampdown that has "all but silenced independent media." Yet Bozdag insisted any journalists in prison were there for drugs, trespassing or for "propagandizing for terrorist organizations."

Turkish leaders have expressed exasperation that they are lambasted for the steps they took after the coup while France gets a "pass" for the state of emergency imposed after the 2015 Paris attacks. But France — unlike Turkey — didn't arrest 41,000 people and purge 100,000 from its civil service.

Likewise, Turkey has sought to appeal to Americans' own experiences with terrorism by repeatedly comparing 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden to Fethullah Gulen, the Muslim cleric Turkey says plotted the coup. Gulen, living in exile in Pennsylvania, denies involvement.

Although Turkey says it has provided the U.S. with roughly a half million pieces of evidence to support its extradition request, the U.S. remains unconvinced. What little evidence Turkey has made public has been mostly anecdotes about arrested military members confessing loyalty to Gulen's movement.

Aykan Erdemir, a former member of Turkey's parliament, said there are frequent and ineffective efforts taking place in Western cities and in Turkey to burnish Turkey's image, often comprising poorly planned presentations alleging Gulen's guilt. But Erdermir said the West isn't the only intended audience.

Because Erdogan's Justice and Development Party once had close ties to Gulen's group, the party's leaders are vulnerable to being implicated if the post-coup crackdown moves higher up the power structure, Erdemir said.

"A lot of people are trying to prove to Erdogan they are holier than thou, that they are fighting the anti-Gulen crusade at least as enthusiastically," said Erdemir, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies. "One of the best defenses is doing such stunts. It really is a paranoid moment in Turkish political history."

Turkish leaders have expressed exasperation that they are lambasted for the steps they took after the coup while France gets a "pass" for the state of emergency imposed after the 2015 Paris attacks. But France — unlike Turkey — didn't arrest 41,000 people and purge 100,000 from its civil service.

Quite.

Netherlands cancels landing permission for Turkish minister.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) March 11, 2017 — The Dutch government on Saturday withdrew landing permission for the Turkish foreign minister's aircraft, escalating a diplomatic dispute between the two NATO allies over campaigning for a Turkish referendum on constitutional reform.

The Dutch government said in a statement it had withdrawn the permission because of "risks to public order and security" caused by the proposed visit of Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu to Rotterdam.

Earlier Saturday, in an interview with private broadcaster CNN Turk, Cavusoglu said: "If the Netherlands cancels my flight permit, our sanctions to the Netherlands would be heavy." He also repeated the government's charges that bans on rallies are "fascist practices."

Cavusoglu said that the German and Dutch bans on campaigns for a "yes" vote in the April 16 referendum on constitutional changes means that Europe is "taking a side for a 'no' vote." The constitutional changes would give Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan more powers.

The Dutch government said it was searching with Turkish authorities for an "acceptable solution" to Cavusoglu's plan to campaign in the Netherlands, but "before these talks were completed, Turkish authorities publicly threatened sanctions. That makes the search for a reasonable solution impossible."

The diplomatic row comes just days before the Netherlands goes to the polls in a March 15 election for the lower house of Parliament. The campaign has been dominated by issues of identity, with anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders set to make strong gains.

Ahead of Saturday's decision, Wilders had accused the government of a weak response to Turkish plans to send ministers to the Netherlands to campaign. The Dutch government said it does not object to meetings in the Netherlands to give information about the Turkish referendum, "but these meetings should not add to tensions in our society and everybody who wants to organize a meeting must adhere to instructions from authorities so that public order and security can be guaranteed."

It said the Turkish government "does not want to respect the rules in this matter."

The Dutch government on Saturday withdrew landing permission for the Turkish foreign minister's aircraft, escalating a diplomatic dispute between the two NATO allies over campaigning for a Turkish referendum on constitutional reform.

That is very serious, but at least the Dutch are standing up to Turkey.

Turkey Untold‏ @TurkeyUntold 48m48 minutes ago
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Turkey's Erdoğan threatens to not allow Dutch planes to land in Turkey after Netherlands canceled a flight of Turkish FM Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.


Turkey Untold‏ @TurkeyUntold 45m45 minutes ago
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Erdoğan: "You don’t allow our FM’s plane to go there as much as you want, let’s see how your planes will come to Turkey from now on?"

Turkey Untold‏ @TurkeyUntold 42m42 minutes ago
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Erdoğan: "I am talking about diplomacy here, I am not talking about the travel of citizens. That is another issue."


Turkey Untold‏ @TurkeyUntold 41m41 minutes ago
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Turkey's Erdoğan to the Netherlands: "They are so much timid, they are so much coward. They are Nazi remnants, they are fascists."

So, everyone's a fascist except the wannabe dictator....I see.

Turkish PM to Europe: 'Don't meddle'

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) March 11, 2017 — Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim criticized Netherlands' decision, calling on Europe to cease meddling in Turkey's affairs.

Speaking at a rally in western Turkey, Yildirim said: "They are banning our ministers and lawmakers who were going there to meet our citizens living abroad, they are creating obstacles." The prime minister added: "Hey Europe, please don't meddle in Turkey's internal affairs and politics and don't take a side."

The Turkish government accuses Germany and Netherlands of preventing campaigns in order to influence a "no" vote in the referendum.

The organizers of the planned rally in Rotterdam with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu appealed for calm after the Dutch government barred him from coming to campaign for next month's referendum in Turkey.

The organizers said: "We are asking all our citizens to stay home, calm and subdued."

The organizers said that "the decision is undemocratic and counter to the freedom of assembly and freedom of expression." Since the rally was called off, they said Turkish-Dutch citizens who have a right to vote in the referendum "would give a fitting answer" in the refendendum vote, which the Dutch government sees as a step backward in the democratic process in Turkey.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte called a Turkish allegation that the Dutch acted like "fascists" by banning the foreign minister from entering the Netherlands to campaign "a crazy remark."

"I understand they are angry but this is of course way out of line," Rutte said in the southern Netherlands during a campaign rally for next Wednesday's Dutch elections.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Dutch "do not know politics or international diplomacy" and added, "these Nazi remnants, they are fascists."

Rutte said it was not right "for Turkish ministers to campaign in the Netherlands among Dutch people —with potentially a Turkish passport, yes — but first of all Dutch people."

Despite the angry words, Rutte said it was important to keep good relations with Turkey.

"We will do everything to keep the relations with Turkey as good as possible, as strong as possible," Rutte said. The Netherlands and Turkey are NATO allies and, through the European Union, it also has a major agreement with Ankara on migration flows.

Turkey's EU Minister Omer Celik has tweeted that the decision to block a visit by the Turkish foreign minister "will go down in history as a dark spot on the Netherlands' democracy and diplomacy."

Celik said: "The Netherlands' decision to cancel the flight permit of our foreign minister is not befitting of friendship. This decision does not suit our alliance and our friendship that has spanned centuries. If racist Geert Wilders were in power in the Netherlands, he'd make such a decision."

Kemal Kilicdaroglu the leader of Turkey's main opposition party criticized the Dutch decision and said, "This is not correct."

He added: "Those who defend democracy would not do such things. You'll call yourself a democrat and then not permit the flight of a minister of the Turkish Republic?"

Not good, this could spin out of control very easily, IMO.

Am watching with interest....

Some reading that might explain Erdogan's behavior. He has delusions of being a great man, but the mentality of a nonentity. LL

http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/ataturk-versus-erdogan-turkeys-long-struggle

http://www.politico.eu/article/recep-tayyip-erdogan-new-ataturk-turkey-coup-eu/

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/10/turkey-ataturk-became-new-model-for-erdogan.html

Turkey-Dutch relations take dip after Turkish visit banned

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) — Turkey and the Netherlands sharply escalated a dispute between the two NATO allies on Saturday as the Dutch blocked a campaign visit by the Turkish foreign minister, prompting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to call them "fascists."

The Netherlands withdrew the landing permission for Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu because of objections to his intention to rally in Rotterdam for a Turkish referendum on constitutional reforms to expand presidential powers, which the Dutch see as a step backward from democracy.

"They do not know politics or international diplomacy," Erdogan told a rally in Istanbul. "These Nazi remnants, they are fascists," he added, as the crowd booed. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte called it "a crazy remark, of course. But I understand they are angry but this is of course way out of line."

https://www.mail.com/int/news/world/5028606-turkey-dutch-relations-take-dip-turkish-visit-bann.html#.1258-stage-hero1-6

Pro-Turkey protest outside Rotterdam consulate

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) March 11, 2017 — About 100 pro-Turkish demonstrators have gathered outside the Turkish Consulate in Rotterdam at dusk with flags in a peaceful protest following the acrimonious words between both governments. The crowd is standing near the consulate's entrance, with Rotterdam police putting up railings to keep anyone from getting too close.

The protest came after the Dutch government barred the Turkish foreign minister from landing in the Netherlands to address a rally in support of a Turkish referendum to extend the powers of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

As the crowd grew, so did the Dutch security force outside the consulate and at one point, a chopper came hovering overhead.

Turkey's foreign minister says that the Dutch decision to deny his plane landing permission for him to enter the Netherlands "is a scandal in every way and cannot be accepted."

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was due to visit Rotterdam on Saturday to campaign for a referendum next month on constitutional reforms in Turkey. The Dutch government says that it withdrew the permission because of "risks to public order and security."

Cavusoglu, speaking at Istanbul's airport, said that the Dutch are trying to prevent Turkish officials from meeting voters in Europe.

He said: "So they cancelled it due to security concerns, what, so is the minister a terrorist?"

The minister added: "We will give them the response they deserve."

He also said that "we have received many supportive messages from the Netherlands, saying they don't agree with their government's racist, fascist policies."

Around 100 people have marched in Istanbul to protest Netherlands' decision to bar Turkey's foreign minister from campaigning.

The demonstrators have laid a black wreath in front of the Dutch Consulate amid a heavy police presence.

The pro-government group said in a statement, "Today we see the Dutch government making decisions that hurt the Turkish nation."

Emphasizing freedom of assembly and expression, the group said, "Netherlands has made big mistakes towards Turkey's ministers in terms of democratic rights and freedoms."

The group chanted "God is Great" and other slogans before dispersing.

Turkish prime minister vows strong response.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim says his country will strongly respond to Dutch authorities' "unacceptable treatment" toward Turkish ministers who were prevented from addressing Turkish citizens in the Netherlands.

In a written statement released early on Sunday, Yildirim also urged Turkish nationals living in Europe to remain calm and not fall for provocations. He also asked them to cast their votes in the April 16 referendum saying it would be best response to the European nations.

He said: "There will be a stronger reprisal against the unacceptable treatment toward Turkey and ministers who have diplomatic immunity." Yildirim added: "Our so-called European friends who speak of democracy, freedom of expression and human rights have failed their class."

Turkey's family affairs minister says Dutch authorities are escorting her to the border with Germany in a manner that "tramples on all democratic and human values." Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya said through her twitter account early on Sunday that she was being taken to the town of Nijmegen, near the border with Germany, adding that she condemned the Dutch authorities' action in "the name of all of our citizens."

Kaya wrote: "the whole world must take action against this fascist practice! Such a treatment against a woman minister cannot be accepted."

Rotterdam mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb said early Sunday that the Turkish family affairs minister is being escorted back to the German border from where she came after she tried to reach the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam against the wishes of the Dutch government.

"The minister is on her way to Germany," Aboutaleb said after an extraordinary standoff between a minister from a NATO ally and an overwhelming police force.

"She was called an unwanted foreigner by the government and the rules say you send someone back to the country she came from," he said.

Hundreds of pro-Turkey protesters scuffled with police as authorities tried to end a demonstration at the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam, where a Turkish minister fruitlessly tried to enter the compound.

At one stage, protesters were throwing bottles and mobbing police vehicles as they moved away from the consulate in central Rotterdam. But soon, police charged on horseback and moved forward with batons wielding.

It was unclear if people were detained or injured.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu says he has called the European Union commission's vice-president asking that he urge the Dutch prime minister to put an end to the "disgrace" against Turkish ministers who have been barred from attending rallies.

In a telephone interview with A Haber television, Cavusoglu said he told Frans Timmermans — a former Dutch politician — that the events were "getting out of control."

Cavusoglu said Turkey did not wish to escalate tensions but that Ankara "would take all necessary measures" against the Netherlands.

Foreign Ministry officials said Cavusoglu held three separate conversations with Timmermans and also spoke with the EU's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.

Separately, Cavusoglu told state-run TRT television that European nations were obstructing campaigning for a "yes" vote in an upcoming referendum on expanding President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's power because they feared the emergence of a "stable, free and independent Turkey."

The mayor of Rotterdam issued an emergency order late Saturday in an attempt to contain a pro-Turkish demonstration outside the consulate which has turned into a flashpoint of the worsening relations between the Netherlands and Turkey.

Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb said he needed special powers to assure security throughout the center of the city fearing that more people would join the demonstration and there was "serious concern" that riots might ensue.

Under the powers, it is easier for authorities to keep people away from diplomatic compounds like the consulate.

Dutch authorities told the Minister of Family and Social Policies Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya that she should take "the shortest way to Germany" where she came from as she sought to enter her consulate in Rotterdam.

TV video on the NOS network showed the standoff between the ministerial convoy and the Rotterdam police, which was translated between an officer and the minister. After being told to return with her convoy, Kaya retorted sharply, saying "I will go to the consulate building. That is a building belonging to my country and I am a minister of that country."

She continued that "there is no such international practice. I don't accept that decision, I reject it and I won't return to Germany."

Close to the consulate, a protest of about 1,000 pro-Turkish demonstrators continued even though the authorities were making slow protest in driving them away.

This is a link to an article by Aboutaleb, a Moroccan who is very forthright re immigration - on Dutch TV he said "you don't integrate, f*** off back where you came from." He has been mayor of Rotterdam since 2008. LL

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2907941/Moroccan-born-mayor-Rotterdam-tells-fellow-Muslims-not-appreciate-freedoms-living-West-pack-bags-f-live-TV.html

Turkey-Dutch relations shatter after Turkish visits banned

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) March 12, 2017 — The escalating dispute between NATO allies Turkey and the Netherlands hit a new low Sunday, with a Turkish minister escorted out of the country less than a day after Turkey's foreign minister was denied entry, prompting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to call the Dutch "Nazi remnants."

The diplomatic clash was over plans by Turkish government officials to campaign in the Netherlands for a referendum back home. Family and Social Policies Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya had arrived in the country from Germany but was prevented from entering Turkey's diplomatic compound in Rotterdam, setting up a standoff with armed police. She was later sent under escort back to Germany.

As she was approaching the German border, Kaya wrote that "the whole world must take action against this fascist practice! Such a treatment against a woman minister cannot be accepted." The Dutch were equally angry and Prime Minister Mark Rutte called Erdogan's Nazi comment "a crazy remark," while Rotterdam mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb said the Turkish consul general was guilty of a "scandalous deception" after he allegedly denied that the minister was coming despite government warnings to stay away.

"He lied to us and didn't tell the truth," the mayor said. "The deception worsened when they drove in different columns to Rotterdam" to try to fool Dutch authorities. Hundreds of pro-Turkey protesters scuffled with police into the night in Rotterdam.

The diplomatic clash with Kaya came after Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was barred from landing in the Netherlands on Saturday and Turkish officials closed off the Dutch Embassy and called its ambassador no longer welcome.

The Dutch barred Cavusoglu from entering because of objections to his intention to attend a rally in Rotterdam for a referendum on constitutional reforms to expand Erdogan's powers, which the Dutch see as a step backward from democracy. Turkish officials have been campaigning in various European cities with Turkish populations before the April 16 vote.

The Dutch government said it withdrew landing permission because of "risks to public order and security," leading Cavusoglu to say: "So is the foreign minister of the Turkish republic a terrorist?" Erdogan told a rally in Istanbul that the Dutch "do not know politics or international diplomacy." He compared them to "Nazi remnants, they are fascists."

Erdogan had earlier this month already compared German policies to "Nazi practices," after German municipalities canceled several campaign events by Turkish officials last weekend. He told a rally in Istanbul Saturday: "You can stop our foreign minister's plane all you want, let's see how your (diplomatic) planes will come to Turkey from now on."

In the evening, a Turkish foreign ministry official who spoke on customary anonymity said the Dutch Embassy in Ankara and its consulate in Istanbul were closed off because of security reasons. The official said entries and exits were closed to the two locations. Similar precautions were taken at the Dutch charge d'affaires' house and the ambassador's residence.

The Turkish foreign ministry also said that it doesn't want to see the Dutch ambassador, who is out of the country, return to his post for some time because of the increasingly divisive dispute with the Netherlands.

In a written statement early Sunday, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said his country will strongly respond to the Dutch actions. "There will be a stronger reprisal against the unacceptable treatment toward Turkey and ministers who have diplomatic immunity," Yildirim said.

Cavusoglu said he arrived in Metz, France, late Saturday, where he was expected to address crowds on Sunday. The diplomatic row comes at a time when relations between Turkey and the European Union, of which the Netherlands is a member, have been steadily worsening, especially in the wake of Erdogan's actions since last year's failed coup. More than 41,000 people have been arrested and 100,000 civil servants fired from their jobs.

Cavusoglu said that "unfortunately Europe and several countries in Europe, the Netherlands being in the first place, they are reminiscent of the Europe of World War II. The same racism, Islamophobia, xenophobia, anti-Semitism, we see all the crimes against humanity in today's politics."

The dispute also comes just days before the Netherlands goes to the polls next Wednesday for the lower house of Parliament. The campaign has been dominated by issues of identity, with anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders set to make strong gains.

Earlier Saturday, Cavusoglu said "Wilders is racist, fascist, Nazi, like a Nazi." Citing comments that Wilders wanted action against Muslims, Cavusoglu said: "What are you going to do? Are you going to kill them, burn them or what?"

https://www.mail.com/int/news/world/5028606-turkey-dutch-relations-shatter-turkish-visits-bann.html#.1258-stage-hero1-5

It was only a matter of time, IMO, before Turkey and some NATO member fell out badly, but I really didn't expect it to be Holland. I appreciate the robust attitude of the mayor of Rotterdam to this nonsense from Turkey, though.

I should think Erdogan has just about handed Wilders victory on a plate.

Old Holborn✘‏ @Holbornlolz 32m32 minutes ago
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Oh, this is fun.

They've put a Turkish flag on the Dutch consulate in Istanbul



Oh Lord. Wars have started over less.

Lots of pics:



Dutch riot police battle pro Erdogan demonstrators after riots broke out at the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4303866/Dutch-PM-bars-Turkish-foreign-minister-escalation-rally-row.html#ixzz4b6ZwDAMM
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Geert Wilders says Thank you, Turkey!

Anti-Islam Dutch lawmaker fans flames from security bubble

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) March 12, 2017— With his flamboyant shock of blonde-dyed hair and fiery anti-Islam rhetoric, Dutch politician Geert Wilders comes across a man who doesn't mind the limelight. Yet for the past dozen years, the right-wing populist has spent much of his time holed up in anonymous safe houses or in a heavily guarded wing of Parliament.

https://www.mail.com/int/entertainment/lifestyle/5030152-anti-islam-dutch-lawmaker-fans-flames-security-bub.html#.1258-stage-hero1-1
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12 arrested during protest at Turkish consulate

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) — Police in Rotterdam say they arrested 12 protesters as a demonstration outside the Turkish consulate devolved into rioting.

https://www.mail.com/int/news/world/5030166-latest-12-arrested-protest-turkish-consulate.html#.1258-stage-hero1-6

Dutch PM Rutte seeks to de-escalate tensions with Turkey.

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) — After an unprecedented diplomatic fight between the Netherlands and Turkey, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Sunday he would seek to control the damage caused by the weekend incidents when he prevented two Turkish ministers from campaigning in the Netherlands.

Rutte's actions, which came two days after several German municipalities canceled rallies that Turkish Cabinet ministers had planned to address, prompted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday to accuse the Dutch of being "Nazi remnants."

At the same time, Turkey kept its drive going to rally people of Turkish descent living in European Union nations to back a referendum that would expand Erdogan's powers. After being denied landing rights in the Netherlands on Saturday, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu addressed crowds in the French city of Metz, where the French government had no qualms about permitting government representatives to Turkish rallies.

https://www.mail.com/int/news/europe/5030242-dutch-pm-rutte-seeks-to-de-escalate-tensions-with.html#.1258-stage-hero1-1
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Turkey's Erdogan says Dutch 'will pay the price'

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he appropriately accused the Dutch government of "Nazism and fascism, saying only those types of regimes would bar foreign ministers from traveling within their countries.

Erdogan also said during a live televised address on Sunday that the Netherlands would "pay the price" for sacrificing its ties with a NATO ally to upcoming elections there. He also said Turkey would retaliate for the ousting of the Turkish family affairs minister from the Netherlands.

Erdogan said: "I have said that I had thought that Nazism was over, but that I was wrong. Nazism is alive in the West." He thanked France, which allowed Turkey's foreign minister to address Turkish citizens in the city of Metz on Sunday.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte says he was forced by threats from Ankara to keep two Turkish ministers from traveling within the Netherlands on Saturday.

Turkish foreign minister warns there "will be repercussions" against the Netherlands and that an "apology was not enough" as tensions continue escalating between the two NATO allies.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu talked with reporters Sunday in Metz, France where he condemned Dutch authorities canceling campaign rallies by himself and another cabinet member.

Noting that Ankara already had barred the Dutch ambassador from returning to Turkey, Cavusoglu added: "We have other steps in mind. We've already begun planning them. We will certainly take those steps and more."

Cavusoglu says Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte had "arrogantly" said he could only come to the Netherlands to deliver tulips and tour museums, but not to see Turks living in the country.

The minister also condemned that treatment of Turkish protesters in Rotterdam, saying he would show photographs of dogs being released on them.
Rutte said Sunday, "We can never do business under this kind of blackmail." The prime minister says he was shocked to see one of the ministers try to get to a Rotterdam rally by car after the government had made clear she was not welcome.

Turkey's minister of family affairs was escorted back to the German border after a long standoff outside the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam. Earlier, the Dutch government had withdrawn the landing rights of the plane carrying Turkey's foreign minister.

The ministers planned to urge Turkish expatriates to back the referendum, which would expand the president's powers. Rutte says: "We drew a red line."

The minister also condemned that treatment of Turkish protesters in Rotterdam, saying he would show photographs of dogs being released on them.


Oh, the Mail has plenty of those....



Here's a hint. If you don't want bitten by Dutch police dogs, then don't riot in Holland over Turkish politics. The clue is the word 'Holland'.

Reuters World‏Verified account @ReutersWorld 3h3 hours ago
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BREAKING: Turkish president Erdogan calls on international organizations to impose sanctions on the Netherlands

Turkish party: Suspend ties with Dutch

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) — The leader of Turkey's nationalist party has called on the government to suspend diplomatic ties with the Netherlands.

Devlet Bahceli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party which is allied with the ruling party for the referendum, has accused the Netherlands of becoming a "hostile country." Bahceli said: "By adopting a disgraceful position, the Netherlands has become a hostile country. Diplomatic ties must be suspended."

Turkey's foreign minister is calling for the defense of European values after holding a campaign rally in the eastern French city of Metz amid a diplomatic spat with the Netherlands.

Mevlut Cavusoglu has told The Associated Press that "we need to defend and promote European values, the common values, more than ever, because of the situation now. That is my message (to Europe)."

No incidents have been reported during the gathering in Metz, which has drawn several hundred people.

France's authorities have authorized the rally as long as it represents no threat to public order.

Cavusoglu was in France Sunday to whip up support for controversial constitutional reforms to expand the powers of the Turkish presidency, one day after being blocked from holding a rally in the Dutch city of Rotterdam.

The decision has prompted tensions between Turkey and The Netherlands.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on international organizations to "raise their voices" against the Netherlands after it escorted a minister out of the country and prevented another one from landing in the country.

In a campaign rally Sunday before a referendum on expanding the powers' of his office, Erdogan also called on international organizations to impose sanctions on the Netherlands.

Erdogan reiterated that the Netherlands would be "made to pay" for its treatment of its ministers, adding there would be no reconciliation with the NATO ally until then. He didn't elaborate.

Turkey's foreign minister has slammed Dutch authorities a day after he was banned from speaking in the Netherlands.

Mevlut Cavusoglu told hundreds of supporters in the French city of Metz that the Dutch would be asked to "account" for their decision regardless of an apology. He called the Netherlands the "capital of fascism."

Cavusoglu was in Metz campaigning for a set of constitutional reforms that would increase the powers of the Turkish presidency.

The reforms need to be approved by the public in an April 16 vote. Asked if they supported the change, the crowd chanted "yes" with enthusiasm.

Women, men, children draped in Turkish flags broke out into sporadic chants in support of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkey dispute timing may benefit Dutch premier in election

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Just days away from an election in which he hopes to secure a third term, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte didn't want to be seen as backing down to Turkish threats. Rutte enraged Ankara by refusing to let Turkey's foreign minister land in the Netherlands on Saturday and denying the country's family and social policies minister access to the Turkish Consulate in downtown Rotterdam.

However, the prime minister may have bolstered his image as a tough leader amid an electoral battle with far-right populist Geert Wilders. Political scientist Andre Krouwel, of Amsterdam's Free University, said that in a campaign dominated by nationalism and national identity issues, Rutte's right-wing VVD party and not the Party for Freedom of anti-Islam firebrand Wilders would likely profit most from the diplomatic showdown with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"Rutte is a key player in this because he is prime minister," Krouwel said in a telephone interview. So he and the VVD can say: "'We are the ones who really protect your interests, we are the ones who go down into the trenches to defend the Netherlands.'"

The image of Turkish flag-waving protesters clashing with riot police in downtown Rotterdam early Sunday might appear to play into the hands of Wilders and his anti-immigrant platform. But Krouwel said that Wilders' views on immigration and integration have been known for years by Dutch voters and so he may not profit.

Other parties, like Rutte's VVD and the increasingly right-wing Christian Democrats, seeking to eat into Wilders' support base by moving further to the right on such issues are more likely to reap electoral rewards in the knife-edge Dutch election on Wednesday.

"The election is still wide open," Krouwel said. "What the right-wing parties are now doing is jumping on this theme from Turkey to — more than already was the case — emphasize themes of immigration, integration, the migrant problem and the concerns about what identity we still share."

Ben Bot, a former foreign minister for the Christian Democrats, said Saturday that the Dutch government's decision to refuse landing permission to a plane carrying Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was likely influenced by "electoral considerations."

Bot's comment to Dutch broadcaster RTL came as the Christian Democrats are making gains, with polls suggesting they could win around 20 of the lower house's 150 seats. Rutte's VVD is leading polls with up to 27 seats, while Wilders' PVV is projected to win as many as 23. Many voters, however, are still undecided.

Meanwhile, leftist parties aiming to campaign on economic issues like job creation, the economy and health care are likely to suffer from the focus on Turkey, Krouwel said. "The dominant issues in this campaign are immigration, integration, security, terrorism, identity," he said. "What you see is that this situation makes these themes so dominant that leftist themes ... are totally absent."

Those looking to see what Rutte and Wilders will make of the Turkey dispute don't have long to wait. The two are due to take part in a televised head-to-head debate Monday.

I wouldn't even attempt to predict this one, LL. Voters do strange things in polling booths, and they are equally likely to think, The government had years to fix this and didn't, so they needn't bother trying to look tough at the last minute just because there's an election.