ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey summoned the Dutch envoy in Ankara on Monday to complain about the actions of Rotterdam police against Turkish protesters over the weekend, foreign ministry sources said.
In a diplomatic note, Turkey’s foreign ministry said that the police intervention was disproportionate and called for legal action against police misconduct, the sources said.
Dutch police used dogs and water cannon on Sunday to disperse hundreds of protesters waving Turkish flags outside the consulate in Rotterdam. Some protesters threw bottles and stones and several demonstrators were beaten by police with batons, a Reuters witness said. Mounted police officers charged the crowd.
The protests were sparked after the Netherlands barred Turkish ministers from speaking in Rotterdam, fuelling a row over Ankara’s political campaigning abroad. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan is looking to the large number of Turks living in Europe to help secure victory next month in a referendum that would give his office sweeping powers.
Source – Reuters