In Germany, rallies with the participation of Turkish ministers were cancelled. Erdogan compared Germany to the Third Reich

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, commenting on the cancellation of mass actions in Germany with the participation of Turkish government ministers, said that the actions of the German authorities "do not differ from the actions of the Nazi era."

Erdogan said that Germany "has nothing to do with democracy." “I thought that Germany had left [the practices of the Nazis] in the past. We made a mistake,” Hurriyet Daily News quoted the president as saying.

Mass events with the participation of Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag and Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci were supposed to take place in Cologne, Gaggenau and Frechen, but were canceled for various reasons, including those related to security, AFP . reports

The actions were organized on the eve of the referendum on the expansion of presidential powers, which is to be held in Turkey in April. The Turkish authorities are campaigning to support the initiative of millions of Turkish citizens living in Europe; Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern called for a ban on Turkish politicians from holding rallies in the EU.

• Relations between Turkey and Germany escalated after the arrest in Turkey of Die Welt journalist Deniz Yucel, who has citizenship of both countries. Erdogan said that Yucel is both a "German spy" and supports Kurdish terrorists.