The Netherlands on Saturday denied landing permission to a plane carrying Turkey's foreign minister as part of a dispute over a canceled political rally. In response, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed the Dutch are "Nazi remnants" and "fascists" who "do not know politics or international diplomacy." "You can stop our foreign minister's plane all you want," he said, "let's see how your planes will come to Turkey from now on."

"It is a crazy remark, of course," replied Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. "I understand they are angry but this is of course way out of line."

The quarrel began when the Netherlands canceled a rally to whip the votes of Turkish expatriates in advance of a Turkish referendum on constitutional reform. The Dutch government cited security reasons for the cancelation, but also opposes the constitutional changes. Erdogan previously leveled the Nazi charge at Germany over a similar dispute. Bonnie Kristian </s> Turkey labels Netherlands the 'capital of fascism' after ministers barred from speaking

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan says the Netherlands is acting like a "banana republic" and should face sanctions for barring Turkish ministers from speaking in Rotterdam, fuelling a row over Ankara's political campaigning abroad.

Mr Erdogan is looking to the large number of Turks living in Europe, especially in Germany and the Netherlands, to help secure victory next month in a referendum that would give the presidency sweeping new powers.

In a speech in France, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu described the Netherlands as the "capital of fascism" after it joined other European countries in stopping Turkish politicians holding rallies, due to fears that tensions in Turkey might spill over into their expatriate communities.

The Dutch Government barred Mr Cavusoglu from flying to Rotterdam on Saturday (local time) and later stopped Family Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya from entering the Turkish consulate there, before escorting her out of the country to Germany.

Dutch police used dogs and water cannons on Sunday to disperse hundreds of protesters waving Turkish flags outside the consulate in Rotterdam.

Some threw bottles and stones and several demonstrators were beaten by police with batons, a witness said. Mounted police officers charged the crowd.

The Dutch Government — set to lose about half its seats in elections this week, according to polls, as the anti-Islam party of Geert Wilders makes strong gains — said the visits were undesirable and it would not cooperate in their campaigning.

"I call on all international organisations in Europe and elsewhere to impose sanctions on the Netherlands," Mr Erdogan said, after his Prime Minister earlier said Turkey would retaliate in the "harshest ways", without specifying how.

A day earlier, Mr Erdogan described the Netherlands as "Nazi remnants" and returned to the theme on Sunday by saying, "Nazism is still widespread in the West", in what Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said were inflammatory remarks.

"We ended up in a totally unprecedented situation in which a NATO ally ... with whom we have historic ties, strong trade relations, is acting in a totally unacceptable, irresponsible manner," Mr Rutte said.

Rather than the Netherlands apologising for refusing the Turkish ministers entry, Turkey's President should apologise for comparing the Netherlands to fascists and Nazis, he said.

The row risked spreading on Sunday as Denmark's Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen proposed postponing a planned visit by Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim this month due to the dispute.

The French foreign ministry urged calm and said there had been no reason to prohibit a meeting in France between Mr Cavusoglu and a local Turkish association.

Supporting Mr Rutte's decision to ban the visits, the Dutch Government said there was a risk of Turkish political divisions flowing over into its own Turkish minority, which has both pro- and anti-Erdogan camps. </s> At a rally in Istanbul on Saturday, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan lashed out at the Netherlands, after Dutch officials banned a rally in Rotterdam in his support and revoked permission for Turkish foreign minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu to address expatriate voters there.

“They don’t know anything about politics or international diplomacy,” said Erdoğan, according the translation of a Reuters video. “They are very nervous and cowardly. They are Nazi remnants. They are fascists.” (It’s unclear from the video whether Erdoğan is referring to the Dutch people as a whole, or the officials responsible for cancelling his rally.) </s> ROTTERDAM, Netherlands —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?” </s> Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Dutch were “fascists” after the government of the Netherlands blocked his foreign minister from attending a political rally in the country out of fear of public disorder.

Landing rights for the flight of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu were withdrawn, the Dutch Foreign Ministry said Saturday in a statement. The government acted after an invitation for Turks to “participate in a public meeting” with Cavusoglu in Rotterdam put “safety in jeopardy.”

“These are cowards, remnants of Nazis, these are fascists,” Erdogan said Saturday at a televised rally in Istanbul. “Lets see how your planes will come to Turkey. I mean here diplomatic planes, not the travel of normal citizens.”

Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who was campaigning before March 15 elections in the Netherlands, said Erdogan’s comments were “way out of line” and “unacceptable.” Dutch Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders called Erdogan a “dictator” and told Turkish officials to stay away.

It was only a week ago that Erdogan accused Germany of Nazi-style practices after the country stopped campaign events by Turkish ministers who wanted to address an estimated 1.4 million voters living in the nation. The escalating war of words with European Union governments comes as Erdogan seeks backing for a referendum in April that would give greater powers to his currently ceremonial presidency. EU leaders have accused him of concentrating power as his government cracks down on dissent.

The fact that “a Turkish minister wants to speak about such a national topic, on a referendum that moves in the wrong direction, further away from democracy, to Turks that are also Dutch citizens, we find the whole thing undesirable,” Rutte said on Thursday.

The Dutch anti-Islam candidate Wilders held a banner at a campaign rally on Saturday that read: “Stay away! This is our country” in both Dutch and Turkish.

The Dutch foreign ministry said it regretted the course of events, but remained committed to dialogue with Turkey. Turkey’s foreign ministry said on Saturday that it has summoned the Dutch charge d’affaires.

Erdogan and the EU last March forged a deal to stem the flow of refugees entering Greece via the Aegean, with Turkey agreeing to take back people turned away. The uneasy accord helped ease the trade bloc’s refugee crisis.

“This is exactly what people like Wilders wanted,” Turkey’s Cavusoglu said of the flight ban. “The Dutch government has committed a crime against humanity.” </s> The Turkish president has labelled the Dutch 'Nazi remnants and fascists' after they refused to let a plane carrying the country's foreign minister land.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan's remarks were made at a rally in Istanbul, as he currently hopes to secure a 'Yes' vote in a referendum over whether he be granted increased powers.

He is targeting expat voters in European countries with high Turkish populations, such as the Netherlands and Germany.

But foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu - who had been flying to Rotterdam on behalf of Mr Erdogan ahead of the April 16 vote - was not permitted to land because Dutch authorities had deemed the rally unsafe.

Mr Erdogan told the crowd back in Turkey: 'You can stop our foreign minister's plane all you want, let's see how your planes will come to Turkey from now on,' Mr Erdogan told booing crowds.

'They do not know politics or international diplomacy…these Nazi remnants, they are fascists.'

Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte said that while the Netherlands and Turkey could search for 'an acceptable solution', Turkey was not respecting the rules relating to public gatherings.

A spokesman for the Dutch government added:'Many Dutch people with a Turkish background are authorised to vote in the referendum over the Turkish constitution,' it said.

'The Dutch government does not have any opposition to gatherings in our country to inform them about it.

'But these gatherings are not allowed to contribute to tensions in our society and everyone who wants to hold a gathering is obliged to follow instructions of those in authority, so that public order and safety can be guaranteed.'

But it said Cavusoglu's threat hours earlier of political and economic sanctions if travel permission were withdrawn made the search for a reasonable solution impossible.

Mr Cavusoglu had previously said that the Netherlands was treating Turkish citizens like hostages in hindering their contact with Ankara.

The vote a potentially divisive issue in Turkey, and Rotterdam authorities said on Friday they was banning the rally.

Cavusoglu said on Saturday he would fly anyway, and had been expected to appear at the Turkish consulate, as he had done when city authorities in Hamburg banned him from speaking last week.

'If my going will increase tensions, let it be,' he told CNN Turk. 'What damage will my going have on them? I am a foreign minister and I can go wherever I want.' </s> Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has branded the Dutch "Nazi remnants" and "fascists" after permission for his Foreign Minister's plane to land in the Netherlands was withdrawn.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was originally scheduled to attend a Turkish rally there to drum up support for the president's plans for extended powers, which are due to be put to a referendum next month.

But the rally was banned by Rotterdam city authorities.

"You can stop our foreign minister's plane all you want, let's see how your planes will come to Turkey from now on," Mr Erdogan said at a rally in Istanbul.

Mr Cavusoglu had said he would fly to Rotterdam anyway but was denied a flight permit, CNN Turk reported.

He had warned that Turkey would impose heavy sanctions if his visit were blocked. </s> A diplomatic row over a cancelled Turkish rally in the Netherlands has escalated after the Dutch government refused to let the Turkish foreign minister land, and then refused to allow the family affairs minister enter the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has decried the Dutch as "Nazi remnants", while Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has threatened "harsh" retaliation. </s> The President of Turkey has called the Dutch "Nazi remnants, fascists" in a stunning outburst with the countries locked in diplomatic row.

President Tayyip Erdogan made the comments this morning, after the Dutch government withdrew permission for his Foreign Minister's plane to land there.

On Friday, Rotterdam city authorities withdrew permission for Mevlut Cavusoglu to attend a rally in support for President Erdogan's plans for extended powers, which is to be put to a referendum next month.

The Dutch say Cavusoglu's visit would be a threat to public order. Several other Euroepan cities have banned such meetings to be attended by Turkish officials.

Cavusoglu's had also made a threat hours earlier of political and economic sanctions against the Nethderlands by Turkey if travel permission was withdrawn.

The Dutch are due to vote in a national election on Wednesday, in which anti-immigration sentiment has played a prominent role.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan says the Netherlands are "Nazi remnants and fascists", after the plane was turned back.