Merkel says Turkish Nazi jibes must stop

Chancellor Angela Merkel has again demanded that Turkey stop comparing German bans on rallies by Turkish officials to Nazi tactics, and said her government reserved the right to block future appearances unless Ankara complied with German law.Berlin is growing increasingly frustrated about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan repeatedly accusing it of applying “Nazi methods” by banning rallies aimed at drumming up support among Turks in Germany for a referendum that would strengthen the power of his presidency.“My demand that Turkey should stop Nazi comparisons remains in force, with no ifs or buts,” Merkel told reporters at the CeBIT technology fair in Hanover. “Unfortunately, we have observed that these comparisons have not stopped, and we will not tolerate that every taboo is broken.”Relations between Turkey, Germany and other European countries have deteriorated in recent weeks amid growing tensions over the April referendum vote and concern over an increasingly authoritarian tone from Ankara.Merkel said that the German foreign ministry had warned Ankara in an “unambiguous” diplomatic communication, or “note verbale”, in recent days that Turkish politicians could speak in Germany only if they complied with the country’s law, which explicitly bans malicious disparagement of the German government.If laws are violated, “the German government reserves the right to take all necessary measures, including a re-examination of all appearances approved as part of the diplomatic communication”, she said.Merkel’s spokeswoman told a regular government news conference that “Nazi comparisons are unacceptable in any form”, adding that it was up to Turkey to tone down its rhetoric and avert damage to relations between the two countries.Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said yesterday that Turkey was using metaphors about “fascism” because it was worried about European countries forgetting their history and falling into the trap of Nazism once again.“European countries are the ones that suffered the most from fascism and Nazism between the end of World War I and World War II. We are seeing and hearing the footsteps of fascism and Nazism now,” he said. “We are not saying this to hurt them. We are saying this so that they will remember those bloody days in recent European history and not fall into the trap of fascism again. We are saying this so that they can take precautions.”He said Europe was behaving in an anti-democratic manner by blocking elected Turkish ministers from speaking in European cities while allowing what he described as a demonstration by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).“This is unacceptable and a stance that does not fit our friendship, our partnership and our long-standing co-operation,” he said. “It cannot be explained by any democratic rule.”Around 30,000 Kurdish supporters rallied in the German city of Frankfurt on Saturday, chanting “Erdogan terrorist” and “freedom for Ocalan”, referring to Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed PKK leader, with many waving flags featuring his face.The PKK is formally classified as a terrorist group by both the European Union and United States.Erdogan had said in a speech in Istanbul on Sunday: “Merkel, now you’re applying Nazi methods. Against my brothers who live in Germany, and against my ministers and lawmakers who visit there.“Would this suit the ethics of politics? Your mission is not to support terrorist organisations, but to extradite them.”Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, said that Turkey’s Nazi comparisons demeaned the memory of those who perished in the Holocaust and distracted from the real threat of growing anti-Semitism and right-wing populism.“The comparisons between the Federal Republic of Germany and National Socialism .... are not only insulting and absolutely wrong, they also diminish the reign of terror of the Nazis,” he said in a statement.German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said he worried that the conflict would spill over to ties between citizens of German and Turkish descent.“We belong together. We are one people,” he said at an event in Berlin.German lawmakers from across the political spectrum also voiced concern about reports that Turkish consulates had confiscated passports of Turks in Germany.Stephan Mayer, a member of Merkel’s conservatives, said it was “not acceptable” for Turkey to pressure its citizens through such measures, and a clear reaction was needed from Berlin.“That is not the way a democratic government treats its citizens,” he said.