How Erdogan used the Dutch as political pawns

Rotterdam

What started as a minor disagreement between Turkey and the Netherlands has now expanded into an unprecedented diplomatic spat. Turkish attempts to hold rallies in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands have been blocked – and President Erdogan is now using this to his advantage.

In April, Erdogan will hold a referendum on changes to constitutional powers in Turkey. This has been his goal for a long time. Even the slight possibility of losing terrifies him. In Turkey the electorate has effectively been told they are ‘terrorists’ if they vote against the motion. Yet despite that, polls showed until recently that the vote was still split. That’s why Turkish ministers were on a campaign across Europe to rally Turkish expats. Germany has 1.4 million Turks, the Netherlands nearly half a million. Gaining support here is now all too important. 

The row escalated when Erdogan described the Netherlands as a ‘Banana Republic’. An insult, you’d think, unless you’d heard his previous remarks suggesting the current Dutch government was the remnants of a Nazi regime.