Merkel rejects Erdoğan’s latest ‘Nazi’ slur aimed at Netherlands

MUNICH - Reuters

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel rejected as “completely unacceptable” comments by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan referring to the Netherlands as “Nazi remnants,” telling a group of business leaders on March 13 that remarks invoking the Nazi past were misguided.

Erdoğan had branded the Netherlands “Nazi remnants, fascists” on March 11 after the Dutch government withdrew permission for Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu to land there.

 Rotterdam city authorities had refused to allow him to attend a meeting to rally support for the April 16 referendum on constitutional amendments.

“Germany completely rejects rhetorical and any other comparisons with the National Socialists made by the Turkish president,” Merkel said, adding that she had already condemned Nazi analogies he had levelled against Germany in a speech in parliament last week.

“This rejection is also valid for our allies, such as the Netherlands. These comparisons are completely misguided. They trivialise the suffering. Particularly in the Netherlands that endured so much agony through the National Socialists, it’s just completely unacceptable. That’s why the Netherlands can count on my complete support and solidarity on this,” she said. 

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on March 11 also described Erdoğan’s remarks comparing the Dutch to the Nazis was “way out of line.”

“It’s a crazy remark of course,” Rutte told reporters during campaigning for the March 15 election. “I understand they’re angry, but this of course was way out of line.”