Merkel Hits Back Over Turkish ‘Nazi Practices’ Comments

BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel says comments from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other Turkish officials accusing Berlin of “Nazi practices” cannot be tolerated.

Merkel told Parliament on Thursday that the remarks are “sad and incredibly misplaced” and are “not justifiable.”

She says “we will not allow the victims of the Nazis to be trivialized” by such comparisons.

Erdogan made the comment on the weekend after several German municipalities canceled events in which Turkish Cabinet ministers had planned to address rallies in Germany in support of a national referendum on constitutional reform that would give the Turkish president more powers. About 1.4 million people of Turkish descent living in Germany are eligible to vote in the referendum.