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Tensions as tens of thousands rally for Erdogan in Germany
By Richard HEISTER with Stuart WILLIAMS in Istanbul
Cologne, Germany (AFP) July 31, 2016


Turkey angered by German ban on Erdogan speech
Ankara (AFP) July 31, 2016 - Turkey on Sunday condemned a German court decision banning President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from addressing his supporters by video link at a rally in Cologne.

Germany is home to Turkey's largest diaspora and the rally scheduled for later Sunday was expected to attract tens of thousands of people opposed to the failed July 15 putsch.

Several smaller counter-demonstrations were also planned, including one billed "Stop Erdogan" and another called by far-right activists, raising concern the demonstrators could clash.

Amid fears that the crowds could be riled by live screenings of speeches from Turkey by politicians including Erdogan, Germany's constitutional court banned an application for such broadcasts.

A statement from the Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said the ban was "unacceptable".

"The practical and legal effort to prevent an event that advocates democracy, freedom and the rule of law and stands against the 15/7 coup attempt is a violation of the freedom of expression and the right to free assembly," the statement said.

"We are curious about the real reason why the German authorities and the constitutional court banned President Erdogan's message and hope that the German authorities will provide a satisfactory explanation."

Turkish authorities have launched a huge crackdown since the coup, detaining almost 19,000 people and sparking international alarm.

The tensions have spilled into Germany, home to three million Turks, and German authorities have deployed some 2,700 officers to keep the peace in Cologne.

The tension comes at a time when relations between Germany and Turkey are already strained over the German parliament's decision to brand as genocide the World War I-era Armenian massacre by Ottoman forces.

German politicians led by Chancellor Angela Merkel have also issued strongly-worded statements against Erdogan's crackdown following the putsch.

Ankara accuses US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen of masterminding the coup and says it is seeking to remove all trace of his influence in Turkish institutions.

Turkish officials are also demanding that Germany extradite suspects linked to Gulen, who left Turkey in 1999 and strongly denies any involvement.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency said Sunday that authorities had stepped up their diplomatic efforts to persuade Germany to limit the activities of the Gulen movement within its borders.

Tens of thousands of supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan rallied in the German city of Cologne on Sunday as tensions over Turkey's failed coup put authorities on edge.

Waving the Turkish flag and chanting "Turkey", the demonstrators turned the rally site next to the River Rhine into a sea of red as they began the demonstration by singing the Turkish and German national anthems. Some held banners saying "Erdogan, fighting for liberty".

"We are here because our compatriots in Germany are standing up for democracy and against the attempted military coup in Turkey," said Turkey's Sports Minister Akif Cagatay Kilic at the rally, Tagesspiegel daily reported.

"The message to be sent from the event is that in Turkey, all parties and NGOs want to stand together against the coup and to defend democracy," added the minister, who was born in Germany.

Police said the gathering, organised by groups including the pro-Erdogan Union of European-Turkish Democrats (UETD), broke up around 1600 GMT with the crowd estimated at 40,000.

Since the attempted July 15 power grab, Erdogan's government has launched a huge crackdown, detaining almost 19,000 people and sparking international concern.

Ratcheting up its clampdown on the military, Ankara on Sunday dismissed nearly 1,400 military personnel, including a top aide to Erdogan, and confirmed it would close military schools and academies.

Erdogan -- who says a group within the military acted on the orders of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen -- has also said he will bring the country's spy agency and military chief of staff directly under his control.

The drama has spilled over into Germany, home to three million ethnic Turks -- the biggest Turkish diaspora in the world.

Hours before the Cologne rally Germany's constitutional court banned an application to show live speeches from Turkey by politicians including Erdogan, amid fears they could work the crowd up further.

The decision sparked anger in Turkey, with presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin calling the ban unacceptable and a "violation of the freedom of expression and the right to free assembly".

- 'Don't bring Turkey tensions here' -

Meanwhile, skirmishes broke out at several smaller counter-demonstrations, with police moving in to separate around 80 right-wing nationalist Turks and 100 Kurds.

Some 250 far-right extremists, including many hooligans, had also come together before being dispersed by police. No injuries were reported.

The tension comes at a time when relations between Germany and Turkey are already strained over the German parliament's decision to brand as genocide the World War I-era Armenian massacre by Ottoman forces.

German politicians led by Chancellor Angela Merkel have also issued strongly-worded statements against Erdogan's crackdown following the failed putsch.

The hardline response "flouts the rule of law", Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert has said, also blasting "revolting scenes of caprice and revenge" in the wake of the failed coup.

At the same time, Ankara is demanding that Germany extradite suspects linked to Gulen. The 75-year-old cleric has strongly denied any involvement.

Erdogan enjoys large support among the diaspora in Germany, where around 1.5 million people with Turkish nationality can vote in Turkish elections.

His AKP party won 60 percent of votes cast in Germany in last November's election, a bigger share of the vote than in Turkey.

In the days following the botched coup, pro-Erdogan activists have stormed locations in Germany popular with Gulen's followers.

Critics of the Turkish president have also complained of abuse and threats against them on social media.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Saturday warned in an interview with Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily: "It is not right to bring Turkey's domestic political tensions here... and intimidate people who have other political convictions."

Meanwhile his Turkish counterpart has warnings for the European Union.

Mevlut Cavusoglu said in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung to appear Monday that Ankara could withdraw from the EU-Turkey accord on refugees if Europe fails to allow visa-free travel for Turks by October.


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