Photo: AFP
Turkey’s president has compared German officials to Nazis, in the latest escalation in a war of words, the BBC reports.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan hit out after German authorities cancelled rallies designed to woo ethnic Turkish voters in Germany ahead of a key referendum.
“Your practices are not different from the Nazi practices of the past,” Mr Erdogan said.
German Justice Minister Heiko Maas said the comments were “absurd, disgraceful and outlandish”.
About 1.4m Turks in Germany can vote in the April referendum, which could give Mr Erdogan sweeping new powers.
Voters will be asked whether they back a new constitution, which would transform the country from a parliamentary republic into a presidential one.
That would give Mr Erdogan, as president, new powers over the budget and the appointment of ministers and judges, as well as the power to dismiss parliament.
