12 March 2017•Update: 13 March 2017
ANKARA
It is shameful the Dutch government has succumbed to anti-Islam racists and fascists, Turkish president’s spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said Sunday.
In a series of posts made on his official Twitter account, Kalin said the Netherlands’ decision to ban Turkish ministers from addressing Turks in Rotterdam marks “a dark day for democracy in Europe”.
"Shame on the Dutch government for succumbing to anti-Islam racists and fascists, and damaging long-standing Turkey-NL relations."
Referring to the upcoming elections in the Netherlands and far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders, who is the chairman of the Party for Freedom (PVV), Kalin said: "Last night we found out that Geert Wilders was already in power."
Wilders, who is known for his Islamophobic and racist rants, tweeted a harsh comment against Turkey's Family and Social Policies Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya late Saturday: "Go away and never come back @drbetulsayan and take all your Turkish fans from The Netherlands with you please. #byebye"
Kaya was blocked from entering the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam late Saturday night and was escorted to Germany by Dutch police.
In remarks made after returning to Istanbul on Sunday, Kaya said she suffered "harsh and rude treatment" at the hands of Dutch authorities.
Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag also condemned the incident and called on Europe to be "fair, objective, clear, and equal to all."
"What the Dutch government did was the violation of the freedoms of assembly and expression, and burying the human rights.
“It was the violation of diplomatic courtesy; it was racism, Islamophobia, and xenophobia.
“It was a support to radicalism and reviving fascism and Nazism; it was the failure of EU values and EU civilization," Bozdag tweeted.
Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canikli said what happened in the Netherlands was an outpouring of "Europe's terrible and brutal face".
Speaking to reporters in northeastern Trabzon province Sunday, Canikli said: "It is the beginning of the end in Europe."
"The period of collapse and dissolution of the Europe has started. No power can stop it."
He said the values of Europe "have all disappeared", adding: "Today, it came to light in the Netherlands, but none of the other European countries have condemned it."
Also, Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek tweeted in English: “Actions of #Dutch Govt clearly defy logic & every principal on which #EU was founded; it is a sad day for #Netherlands, the EU & #Democracy.”
