Human Rights Watch Warns of 'Authoritarian Drift' in Turkey

[celedhring]

That's gonna help him win the referendum, sadly.

[Duque de Bragança]

That's gonna help him win the referendum, sadly.

Submission to his whims too, so no reason to comply with the diktat of the wannabe caliph and/or his fifth column.

[The Larch]

Turkey is really starting to flip its lid.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39156138

Erdogan anger as Germany-Turkey war of words escalates

A row between Ankara and Berlin over a series of cancelled Turkish political rallies in Germany is continuing to escalate.

On Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Berlin of "aiding and harbouring" terror.

He said a German-Turkish journalist detained by Turkey was a "German agent" and a member of the outlawed Kurdish militant group, the PKK.

A source in Germany's foreign ministry told Reuters the claims were "absurd".

Earlier German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she respected local authorities' decisions to cancel rallies that Turkey's justice and economy ministers had been scheduled to address.

Turkey is trying to woo ethnic Turkish voters ahead of a key referendum.

About 1.4m Turks living in Germany are eligible to vote in the April referendum, in which President Erdogan aims to win backing for sweeping new powers.

The constitutional changes would boost Mr Erdogan's presidency and significantly weaken parliament's role.

Turkish officials have been angered after local German officials withdrew permission for rallies in Gaggenau, Cologne and Frechen.

Gaggenau authorities had said there was insufficient space for the rally, while Cologne officials said they had been misled about the purpose of the event.

Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag, who had been due to speak in Gaggenau, said he saw "old illnesses flaring up" between the two Nato allies.

Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu accused the German government of backing opposition to Mr Erdogan's planned constitutional changes.

He said: "You are not Turkey's boss. You are not a first class [country] and Turkey is not second class. We are not treating you like that, and you have to treat Turkey properly.

"If you want to maintain your relations with us, you have to learn how to behave."

Germany's foreign ministry said the central government had nothing to do with the cancellations, and Ankara should refrain from "pouring oil on the fire".

The growing row is troubling for Chancellor Merkel because she persuaded Turkey to help block the surge of migrants - many of them Syrian refugees - into the EU.

Separately, the Dutch government on Friday described plans for a Turkish referendum campaign rally in Rotterdam as "undesirable". Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was reportedly meant to attend the rally scheduled for 11 March.

'German spy'

Ties between Berlin and Istanbul are also strained over Turkey's arrest of Deniz Yucel, a journalist who works for Die Welt.

Mr Yucel "hid in the German embassy as a member of the PKK and a German agent for one month", Mr Erdogan said.

"When we told them to hand him over to be tried, they refused."

German's foreign ministry called the spy claims "absurd".

Ms Merkel, referring to the case earlier, told reporters in Tunis: "We support freedom of expression and we can criticise Turkey."

German Justice Minister Heiko Maas sent his Turkish counterpart, Mr Bozdag, a sharply-worded letter warning against "dismantling the rule of law".

He said the Turkish treatment of Mr Yucel was "disproportionate".

"If Turkey fails to uphold core European values, then closer relations with the European Union will become more difficult, or impossible," he wrote.

In Turkey, dozens of writers and journalists have been arrested in a far-reaching crackdown that followed a failed coup against Mr Erdogan in July 2016.

A large number Turkish diplomats and soldiers have sought asylum in Germany since the coup attempt, a further source of bilateral tension.

I've actually had some targeted ads appear today in my Twitter timeline from some kind of oficial Turkish PR account claiming that Germany harbours lots of PKK terrorists. Makes me thing they had this campaign ready to be deployed just in case.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

Turkey is really starting to flip its lid.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39156138

I've actually had some targeted ads appear today in my Twitter timeline from some kind of oficial Turkish PR account claiming that Germany harbours lots of PKK terrorists. Makes me thing they had this campaign ready to be deployed just in case.

maybe a german PR campaign should talk about all the IS-terrorists Turkey allowed into Syria...

[Zanza]

Turkey is really starting to flip its lid.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39156138

I've actually had some targeted ads appear today in my Twitter timeline from some kind of oficial Turkish PR account claiming that Germany harbours lots of PKK terrorists. Makes me thing they had this campaign ready to be deployed just in case.

maybe a german PR campaign should talk about all the IS-terrorists Turkey allowed into Syria...

Who would be the target of such PR? And what would Germany try to achieve with that?

[Malicious Intent]

I've actually had some targeted ads appear today in my Twitter timeline from some kind of oficial Turkish PR account claiming that Germany harbours lots of PKK terrorists. Makes me thing they had this campaign ready to be deployed just in case.

It's Erdogan's standard line when he want's to bash Germany. His government has claimed several times in the past years that Turks in Germany are suppressed, can't gather, can't fly the Turkish flag and so on, while the PKK operates in the open (it can't of course, as it's considered a terrorist organization and supporting it a crime). One of his ministers actually claimed all that a year ago while attending a huge gathering of Turks in Germany, surrounded by a sea of Turkish flags. Completely surreal scene.

[Malicious Intent]

maybe a german PR campaign should talk about all the IS-terrorists Turkey allowed into Syria...

Who would be the target of such PR? And what would Germany try to achieve with that?

Yeah, best not to get dragged down into the mud.

[Maladict]

Turkey is trying the same thing here. They're sending a government delegation, perhaps even including Erdogan, for a political rally about their referendum. And just days before our general election.
There may not be a way to legally stop it, and to be honest I'm not sure it should be.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

Turkey is trying the same thing here. They're sending a government delegation, perhaps even including Erdogan, for a political rally about their referendum. And just days before our general election.
There may not be a way to legally stop it, and to be honest I'm not sure it should be.

you don't let hostile governemnts campaign in your country.

[Maladict]

Turkey is trying the same thing here. They're sending a government delegation, perhaps even including Erdogan, for a political rally about their referendum. And just days before our general election.
There may not be a way to legally stop it, and to be honest I'm not sure it should be.

you don't let hostile governemnts campaign in your country.

If our government wanted to speak to Dutch citizens living in Turkey, about domestic Dutch matters and they wouldn't be allowed to we'd be offended as well. And calling them a threat to freedom of expression (which, granted, they already are).

[celedhring]

It's pretty usual in Spain to have politicians from Latin America come campaign among their emigrated constituencies.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

Turkey is trying the same thing here. They're sending a government delegation, perhaps even including Erdogan, for a political rally about their referendum. And just days before our general election.
There may not be a way to legally stop it, and to be honest I'm not sure it should be.

you don't let hostile governemnts campaign in your country.

If our government wanted to speak to Dutch citizens living in Turkey, about domestic Dutch matters and they wouldn't be allowed to we'd be offended as well. And calling them a threat to freedom of expression (which, granted, they already are).

I doubt the dutch government would be calling upon it's citizens over there (in so far as those wouldn't be turkish as well) to not be loyal to their new country, but instead act as a fifth column for the Netherlands. Nor would they ask these people to report on the enemy-of-the-Netherlands-of-the-day either.

[Maladict]

I doubt the dutch government would be calling upon it's citizens over there (in so far as those wouldn't be turkish as well) to not be loyal to their new country, but instead act as a fifth column for the Netherlands. Nor would they ask these people to report on the enemy-of-the-Netherlands-of-the-day either.

The exact same thing has already happened two years ago, and nobody cared. The situation is different now, of course, what with the general election and the Turkish situation.
But the government has no power to stop it. Only the mayor of Rotterdam can, and only if there is a concern about public safety at the rally itself. He will also need a judge to rule in his favour.

[Josquius]

I've actually had some targeted ads appear today in my Twitter timeline from some kind of oficial Turkish PR account claiming that Germany harbours lots of PKK terrorists. Makes me thing they had this campaign ready to be deployed just in case.

It's Erdogan's standard line when he want's to bash Germany. His government has claimed several times in the past years that Turks in Germany are suppressed, can't gather, can't fly the Turkish flag and so on, while the PKK operates in the open (it can't of course, as it's considered a terrorist organization and supporting it a crime). One of his ministers actually claimed all that a year ago while attending a huge gathering of Turks in Germany, surrounded by a sea of Turkish flags. Completely surreal scene.

I remember discussing Turkish issues with a Turkish friend once.
She dismissed the Turkish community in Germany as all being kurds.
No doubt she was exaggerating. But it would make sense for them to be over represented

[Duque de Bragança]

It's pretty usual in Spain to have politicians from Latin America come campaign among their emigrated constituencies.

It's not fair comparing them to Herr Dogan though, is it? Or as "fair" as calling them sudacas I guess.