Turkish minister predicts 'holy wars' in Europe following Geert Wilders' defeat

Turkish foreign minister accused political parties in the Netherlands of dragging Europe into an abyss

Turkish foreign minister claimed on Friday that "holy wars will soon begin" in Europe, despite the defeat of far-right Geert Wilders in the Netherlands polls.

Wilders' anti-Islam Party for Freedom could only manage a second position in the Dutch polls, securing 20 seats. Rutte's VVD, on the other hand, got 33 seats. In an attempt to capitalise on the ongoing diplomatic row between his country and Turkey, far-right Wilders led a small protest outside the latter's embassy, calling president Recep Tayyip Erdogan a 'dictator'.

"Now the election is over in the Netherlands... when you look at the many parties you see there is no difference between the social democrats and fascist Wilders," Hurriyet quoted the minister as saying.

"All have the same mentality. Where will you go? Where are you taking Europe? You have begun to collapse Europe. You are dragging Europe into the abyss. Holy wars will soon begin in Europe," Cavusoglu elaborated.



The minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also did not felicitate the victory for Prime Minister Mark Rutte's centre-right party People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD).

On Wednesday, Turkey threatened to scrap a critical deal on halting the flow of migrants to the EU amid a spiralling war of words between Ankara and the bloc. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the "spirit of fascism" was running rampant in Europe.

The dispute, following political campaigning, to push for a constitutional referendum in Turkey intensified after cancellation of a rally to be led by Cavusoglu in Rotterdam on March 11.

Dutch authorities had cancelled permission for the minister's plane to land after he vowed to make a visit to the country regardless, triggering a number of tit-for-tat sanctions.



The same day, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan labeled the Dutch government 'fascists' and 'Nazis'. EU leaders termed these allegations offensive and far from reality.

Turkey is locked in a mighty row with Germany, the Netherlands and other EU states over the blocking of Turkish officials from holding rallies abroad in the campaign for a referendum on expanding Erdogan’s powers.

The country last month said it was lifting a historic ban on female officers wearing the Islamic headscarf in the country’s officially secular armed forces, the last institution where the wearing of the garment was forbidden.

The story first appeared on Independent