26 May 2018•Update: 27 May 2018
By Sibel Ugurlu
ANKARA
Turkey on Saturday condemned Germany for allowing rally of PKK supporters, describing the move as “hypocrisy.”
"This hypocritical approach we strongly condemn is not in tune with democracy, fight against terrorism and with the anticipation of normalization in Turkish-German relations," Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a written statement.
Recalling Germany’s ban on Turkish politicians, who wanted to carry out rallies ahead of June 24 parliamentary and presidential elections, the ministry said the rule needs to apply on all political parties.
In April, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas had said that his country would not allow Turkish politicians to carry out election campaign rallies.
Turkish opposition HDP, which government accused of being a political front for PKK, held a rally in German city of Cologne on Saturday.
Listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU, the PKK has waged a wide-ranging terror campaign against the Turkish state since the mid-1980s, in which an estimated 40,000 people have been killed.
The German authorities had been warned about the election rally of a Turkish political party in German city of Cologne, the ministry said.
"Despite all these, there is no clear and acceptable explanation for Germany to allow such a rally today. Allowing the rally with the participation of the terrorist organization PKK's extensions in Germany [...] is the latest example of the double standard," the ministry said.
'Ban only applies on AK Party'
On Friday, Mustafa Yeneroglu, a senior lawmaker of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party, pointed to Germany's double standard and said: "While all the elements posing a threat to Turkey are allowed to carry out all kinds of activities in Germany, the so-called election campaign ban only applies on the AK Party."
Yeneroglu said Turkey had warned Germany about the recent campaigns in the country.
"We have warned them that they should abide by the principles of the rule of law and apply a rule they themselves set up," Yeneroglu said.
"We observe that no one cares about that. The HDP lawmakers will continue their programs organized by the PKK across Germany," he said.
Almost a thousand PKK supporters gathered in Neumarkt square in Cologne, a spokesman for the German police told Anadolu Agency.
The police did not allow the PKK symbols and banners during the rally. However, the group chanted slogans against Turkey and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The PKK has been banned in Germany since 1993, but it remains active, with nearly 14,000 followers in the country.
Ankara has long criticized Berlin for not taking serious measures against the PKK, which uses the country as a platform for their fundraising, recruitment, and propaganda activities.
