Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday compared anti-Turkey statements by German politicians to "Nazism" after Chancellor Angela Merkel said she would seek to end talks on Ankara's accession to the EU. "I'm not saying you're a Nazi, a fascist. I am explaining the incident... This incident is Nazism. This is fascism," Erdogan said, reacting to comments made by Merkel and Martin Schulz, her Social Democratic rival, during a televised debate ahead of elections on September 24.
"You have entered into the election campaign in a competition for this title," he told local ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) officials in Ankara. Relations between Turkey and Germany have been tense since last year's attempted coup and Berlin's reaction to the subsequent crackdown during which over 50,000 people have been arrested including German citizens. Ties were further strained by last week's arrest of two German citizens, one of whom has since been released according to her lawyer.
It is not the first time Erdogan has used the Nazi comparison. In the run up to an April referendum to boost his powers, he accused Berlin of "Nazi practices" after the cancellation of rallies to drum up support from Turkish voters in Germany. In the TV showdown with challenger Schulz on Sunday, Merkel said it was "clear that Turkey should not become a member of the European Union".