Erdogan urges Turks in Europe to have 5 children

Erdogan
Erdogan

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on Turks living in Europe to have at least five children, saying it would be the best response to Europe's "injustices."

President Erdogan made the comments on Friday while campaigning in the city of Eskisehir for a referendum that would usher in a presidential system and enhance his powers.

Erdogan told Turks in Europe: "Go live in better neighborhoods. Drive the best cars. Live in the best houses. Make not three, but five children. Because you are the future of Europe. That will be the best response to the injustices against you."

The Turkish leader has unleashed scathing rhetoric toward European nations — especially the Netherlands — after Turkish ministers were prevented from carrying out campaign meetings there ahead of a referendum in Turkey.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was barred from visiting Rotterdam for a political rally, and the country's Family Affair's Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya was denied entry to the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam.

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Erdogan later exacerbated tensions after accusing The Netherlands of carrying out the worst massacre in Europe since the Second World War.

He said: 'We know the Netherlands and the Dutch people from the Srebrenica massacre. We know how rotten their character is from their massacre of 8,000 Bosnians there.'

In fact, the attack was attributed to Bosnian Serb forces, but Dutch UN peacekeepers failed to protect the victims.

Erdogan also compared the Dutch to Nazis, and called the country to a 'banana republic'.