2017 Dutch–Turkish diplomatic incident

In March 2017, the Netherlands and Turkey were in- Overseas election campaigning, even in diplomatic mis-
volved in a diplomatic incident, triggered by Turkish ef- sions, is illegal under Turkish law; yet most political par-
forts to hold political rallies on Dutch territory and sub- ties in Turkey, including the ruling AKP, have flouted the
sequent travel restrictions placed by Dutch authorities on law.[3][4]
Turkish officials seeking to promote the campaign for a
The Turkish referendum comes at a time when the
'yes’ vote in the upcoming Turkish constitutional referen- Netherlands, too, was scheduled for its general election,
dum to Turkish citizens living in the Netherlands. which was held on 15 March 2017.[5]
The Netherlands barred the aircraft of Turkish Minister
of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu from landing, and
expelled Turkish Minister of Family and Social Policies,
Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya, from the country, when both
2 Escalation
tried to speak at rallies. In response, Turkey barred
the Dutch ambassador from the country, and Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called the Dutch “fas-
cists” and “remnants of Nazism”. Dutch Prime Minister
Mark Rutte called Erdoğan’s remarks a “vile falsification
of history” and demanded an apology. Rutte also called
for talks to resolve the impasse, adding that Turkey had
crossed a diplomatic line.

1 Background

Further information: Netherlands–Turkey relations;

Turkish constitutional referendum, 2017; 2017 Turkish
constitutional referendum 'Yes’ campaign; and Dutch Protesters at Consulate General of the Netherlands in Istanbul
general election, 2017
On 9 March 2017, the Dutch foreign minister Bert Koen-
The Turkish referendum scheduled for 16 April 2017 ders told his Turkish counterpart Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu that
concerns a series of constitutional amendments that, the Netherlands would not facilitate his planned visit to
if approved, would transform the country from a Rotterdam on 11 March, meaning that he would not meet
parliamentary democracy into a presidential system, un- with Çavuşoğlu in any official capacity and that the Dutch
der which President Erdoğan would be able to stand in state would not provide support in any way during his
two more elections, theoretically allowing him to gov- planned visit. Koenders cited risks to public order and
ern as a powerful head of state until 2029. Critics of the security for the decision, and further stated that, although
proposed changes have expressed their fears of increased the Dutch government did not approve of the planned
authoritarianism, whereas supporters claim the new sys- visit, he would not infringe upon the constitutional right
tem would make the Turkish state stronger and safer.[1] of freedom of assembly.[6] This did not faze Çavuşoğlu,
In the 'Yes’ campaign's attempt to persuade Europe’s and he publicly requested all “Turkish citizens in the
Turkish diaspora (many of whom still hold Turkish cit- Netherlands” to come to the Turkish consulate in Rotter-
izenship and thus are allowed to vote on the referendum) dam on 11 March. He further threatened the Netherlands
several high-ranking Turkish government officials sought with “serious sanctions” if his visit was prevented. In re-
to campaign in European cities with large Turkish popu- sponse to these threats, Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte
lations. This included the Dutch city of Rotterdam, which promptly revoked the rights of Çavuşoğlu’s government
contains a large portion of the 400,000 people of Turk- plane to land on Dutch soil.[7]
ish origin living in the Netherlands. The Turkish plans The Dutch refusal prompted President Erdoğan to
to campaign in European cities met a mixed reception in characterise the Dutch as “fascists” and “remnants of
many European states, including the Netherlands.[2] Nazism”, which resulted in a hardening of positions on

1
2 3
both sides.[8] Rutte called Erdoğan’s remarks a “vile fal-
sification of history” and demanded an apology.[9]
The Turkish government then sent the Turkish Minis-
ter of Family and Social Policies, Fatma Betül Sayan
Kaya, from Germany to Rotterdam by car after the Turk-
ish consul had allegedly promised the Mayor of Rotter-
dam, Ahmed Aboutaleb, that she would not be coming
to the Netherlands. After intercepting two decoy mo-
torcades, the Dutch police managed to stop Betül Sayan
Kaya just metres from the Turkish consulate.[10] A stand-
off ensued for several hours in which the Turkish min-
ister refused to leave the Netherlands and tried to en-
ter the consulate. Although not arrested, she was de-
clared persona non grata[11] and eventually escorted to
the Dutch–German border near Nijmegen and returned
to Germany. Sporadic rioting occurred among the about
1,000 pro-Erdoğan protesters who had come to the Turk-
ish consulate. They were met by Dutch riot police, who
arrested 12 people for violent assault and not following
police instructions.[12]
3 Reactions
3.1 Dutch reaction
• Prime minister Rutte called the Turkish govern-
ment’s stance bizarre and unacceptable and called
for talks to resolve the impasse, adding that Turkey
had crossed a diplomatic line. “This has never hap-
pened before; a country saying someone is not wel-
come and then them coming regardless.”[1]
• A nationwide poll showed that 86% of the Dutch
population supported the Dutch government’s ac-
3.3 International reaction
tions, with 10% condemning them. 91% of the
Dutch population blamed the Turkish government International organisations
for the incident’s escalation.[13]
3.2 Turkish reaction
• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the
Netherlands was acting like a "banana republic" and
should face sanctions.[14]
• The Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said
there would be “strong countermeasures” for the
Netherlands. The residences of the Dutch ambas-
sador, chargé d’affaires and consul general in Ankara
were sealed off and the ambassador (who was on
leave) was not allowed to return to Turkey.[9][1]
• Protesters in cities of Turkey including İzmit were
seen squeezing and sticking knives into oranges (a
prominent symbol of the Dutch royal family; the or-
ange color is also associated with the Netherlands).
Some protesters also burnt the flags of France since
they assumed French President François Hollande
REACTIONS
was the President of Holland (Netherlands).[15][16]
A man replaced the Dutch flag of the Dutch Con-
sulate General in Istanbul with a Turkish one with
some protestors making signs of the ultra-nationalist
Grey Wolves and shouting "Allahu akbar", “Racist
Holland” and “Damn Holland”.[17][18]
• On 13 March, Turkey barred the Dutch ambassador
(who was out of the country during the incident)
from returning to Turkey and said it was suspend-
ing “high-level diplomatic relations”.[19] In addition
president Erdoğan announced the two ministers in-
volved would file a complaint against the Nether-
lands with the European Court of Human Rights.[20]
• On 14 March, Erdoğan accused the Netherlands of
mass murder in Srebrenica.[21] Also, he called on
Turks, Muslims and foreigners living in Germany
and the Netherlands not to vote for parties that es-
pouse anti-Turkey policies.[22]
• On 15 March, Erdoğan urged the city of Istanbul
to cut their (non-existing) sister city agreement with
Rotterdam.[23][24]
• On 15 March, Turkey’s red meat association has or-
dered a consignment of prize Dutch cattle to be sent
back to the Netherlands, saying it no longer wants to
farm the cows due to the diplomatic crisis between
the countries.[25]
• Turkish hackers have hacked a number of Twitter
accounts following the diplomatic row with Ger-
many and the Netherlands over a ban on Turkish
ministers entering the country.[26]
• Amnesty International – The organisation said
that no fundamental human rights were violated with
the police actions in Rotterdam.[27][28]
• EU – On 13 March, the European Commis-
sion urged Turkey to “moderate its tone” in order to
avoid further escalation of the incident. It added that
Turkish insults towards the Netherlands, accusing
them of being Nazis or fascists, is a mode of rhetoric
which has no place in Europe.[29] On 15 March,
the President of the European Council Donald Tusk
said that Turkey’s comments were “completely de-
tached from reality”.[30] As a show of respect for
the Netherlands and its citizens, Tusk, also deliv-
ered part of his speech in Dutch. In it, he said
“The Netherlands is Europe, and today I want to say
Europe is the Netherlands. Place of freedom and
democracy, especially Rotterdam, city of Erasmus,
brutally shot to pieces by the Nazis, today with a

mayor born in Morocco. That has nothing to do with
fascism. We stand in solidarity with the Nether-
lands.” He finished his speech by saying “Yes, we
are European, and we are proud”. [31] (Dutch)
• NATO – NATO called for calm and for both
sides to de-escalate the situation.[32]
Governments
• Austria – Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz said
that Turkey was not welcome to hold rallies in Aus-
tria, stating that doing so could hinder integration
and increase friction between Austrians and Turk-
ish immigrants.[33]
• Denmark – Prime Minister Lars Løkke Ras-
mussen expressed his concern about the political de-
velopments in Turkey, and announced his intention [11] “Sparks between Turkey and Holland as Erdogan calls the
to postpone the visit of the Turkish prime minister
Binali Yıldırım to Denmark.[34]
• France – Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault
called Erdoğan’s comments “unacceptable” and for
Turkey to abide by the European Convention on Hu-
man Rights.[32]
• Germany – Chancellor Angela Merkel stated
that she was not opposed to Turkish ministers hold-
ing rallies in Germany, providing that they had pre-
viously been announced. However, Interior Min-
ister Thomas de Maizière said that Turkey had no
business to campaign in Germany.[33] Merkel de-
fended the Netherlands and rejected Erdogan’s ac-
cusations towards the Netherlands as “completely
unacceptable comments”. She further stated that
“the Netherlands could count on her full support and
solidarity”. [35]
• United States – State Department spokesman
Mark Toner called on both sides to avoid escalatory
rhetoric.[36]
4 References
[1] “Turkish PM threatens sanctions against Dutch over min-
ister’s expulsion”. The Guardian. London. Retrieved 12
March 2017.
[2] “Ondanks verzet plant Erdogan zijn Europese referen-
dumtournee”. Elsevier. 8 March 2017. Retrieved 14
March 2017.
[3] Gold, Shabtai; Merey, Can; Say, Linda. “Turkish law pro-
hibits campaigning abroad – as row with Europe deepens”.
Deutsche Presse-Agentur. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
[4] “Host of 'political' Turkish rally in Austria scraps event
after police see 'no legal grounds’ to act”. Xinhua. Re-
trieved 13 March 2017.
3
[5] Dewan, Angela (2017). “Everything you need to know
about the Dutch elections”. CNN. Retrieved 14 March
2017.
[6] “Koenders geeft Turkse minister geen harde 'nee' voor be-
zoek aan Nederland”. Elsevier. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
[7] “Rutte cancelt vlucht Turkse minister near Nederland” (in
Dutch). RTL Nieuws. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
[8] “Niederlande verweigern türkischem Außenminister Lan-
deerlaubnis”. Der Spiegel (in German). Retrieved 12
March 2017.
[9] “Turkey slams EU officials in row over Netherlands cam-
paigning”. BBC News. 14 March 2017. Retrieved 14
March 2017.
[10] “Rotterdamse burgemeester Ahmed Aboutaleb: Turkse
consul heeft tegens ons gelogen” (in Dutch). NPO. Re-
trieved 12 March 2017.
Dutch 'Nazi remnants’". The Telegraph. London. Re-
trieved 14 March 2017.
[12] “Twaalf arrestaties bij Turkse reline Rotterdam” (in
Dutch). AD. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
[13] "'Grote meerderheid kiezers achter aanpak Nederlandse
regering'". BNdeStem (in Dutch). Retrieved 12 March
2017.
[14] “Erdogan says Netherlands acting like a 'banana repub-
lic'". SBS Australia. 13 March 2017.
[15] Ece Temelkuran (14 March 2017). “Erdoğan is relishing
this war of words with the Netherlands”. Retrieved 15
March 2017.
[16] Patrick Atack (13 March 2017). “Turks squeeze oranges
in anti-Dutch protest”. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
[17] “Turkish minister complains of 'ugly treatment' by
Dutch”. Deustche-Welle. 12 March 2017. Retrieved 15
March 2017.
[18] “Turkish leader says Dutch will 'pay the price' for insult”.
Associated Press. ABC News.
[19] Roberts, Elizabeth (13 March 2017). “Turkey suspends
'high-level diplomatic relations’ with Dutch”. CNN. Re-
trieved 13 March 2017.
[20] http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/
latest-dutch-reaction-turkey-protest-46089517
[21] Pieters, Janine. “Erdogan Accuses Netherlands of Mass
Murder in Srebrenica”. NL Times. Retrieved 14 March
2017.
[22] Turkey vows to mobilize Islamic world against Euro-
fascism
[23] http://www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/
erdogan-wil-dat-rotterdam-stedenband-met-istanbul-verbreekt-maar-we-heb
[24] “Istanbul terminates sister city protocol with Rotterdam
after Erdoğan’s call”. Hurriyet Daily News. 15 March
2017. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
4 4 REFERENCES

[25] Turkey ‘expels Dutch cows’ amid diplomatic crisis

[26] “Turks hack Twitter accounts of Borussia Dortmund,

UNICEF and others after diplomatic row - SCIENCE &
TECHNOLOGY”. Hurriyet Daily News. 15 March 2017.
Retrieved 15 March 2017.

[27] “Amnesty: geen grond Turks verwijt”. De Telegraaf (in

Dutch). 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2017.

[28] “Nederland past reisadvies aan, Turkije wil juridische

stappen tegen Nederlandse politie”. Het Laatste Nieuws
(in Dutch). 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2017.

[29] "'EU: Turkey needs to moderate its tone.'". De Telegraaf.

13 March 2017.

[30] "'Turks 'detached from reality' - EU’s Donald Tusk'".

BBC. 15 March 2017.

[31] http://www.elsevier.nl/buitenland/achtergrond/2017/03/
tusk-houdt-warm-pleidooi-voor-rotterdam-470482/

[32] Pieters, Janine. “Germany, France Back Netherlands in

Turkey Row: NATO Calls for Calm”. NL Times. Re-
trieved 13 March 2017.

[33] “Turkey rallies row: Germany and Netherlands harden

stance”. BBC News Online. Retrieved 13 March 2016.

[34] “Danish Prime minister wants to postpone visit of Turkish

minister”. NOS. 12 March 2017.

[35] http://www.reuters.com/article/
us-turkey-referendum-netherlands-merkel-idUSKBN16K1SD?
il=0

[36] Hernandez, Michael (15 March 2017). “US urges cooler

heads amid Turkey-Netherlands spat”. Anadolu Agency.
Retrieved 15 March 2017.
 5

5 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

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• 2017 Dutch–Turkish diplomatic incident Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Dutch%E2%80%93Turkish_diplomatic_
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Tiptoethrutheminefield, HaEr48, Joobo, Equality 7-2522, HFS-er, GeneralAdmiralAladeen, Continentaleurope, Adog104, Torygreen84,
MaurikL, PrincenMCA, MonsterHunter32, Mélencron, RYPJack, Davetheb, HerbertMacuse, The edgy sock and Anonymous: 19

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