Jean-Christophe Verhaegen, AFP | Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu arrives to give a speech in the eastern French city of Metz on March 12, 2017.

France’s government came under fierce criticism on Sunday for allowing Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu to campaign in the northeastern city of Metz amid tensions with Europe ahead of next month’s referendum on a new Turkish constitution.

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Cavusoglu campaigned in support of a “yes” vote in Turkey’s April 16 referendum at a gathering organised by the local Turkish community in Metz. If passed, the new constitution would expand Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s powers.

The event came a day after the Netherlands barred Turkish Family Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya from attending a similar event in Rotterdam, prompting Erdogan and Cavusoglu to accuse the Dutch government of “fascism”.

Turkey’s push to woo foreign voters has run into problems elsewhere in Europe. Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen postponed a scheduled visit with his Turkish counterpart Binali Yildirim over the weekend in light of the “current Turkish attack on Holland”. Meanwhile, Austria and Switzerland have both made it clear that Turkey was not welcome to campaign within their borders.

The French government’s decision to allow the meeting in Metz was met with immediate criticism from politicians, who accused the government of failing to show solidarity with the rest of Europe.

“It’s obvious that there should have been a united stance on handling Turkey’s demands. The French government could have prevented this meeting from taking place,” conservative presidential hopeful François Fillon said.

Far-right candidate Marine Le Pen echoed Fillon’s comments. “Why should we tolerate rhetoric that other democracies have rejected on our soil? No Turkish electoral campaign in France,” she posted on Twitter.

Centrist Emmanuel Macron also spoke out against the rally in Metz. “Our country shouldn’t accept any provocation or attack against our democracy, our allies [or] our values on its soil,” he said.

‘France’s role is not to ban debate’

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault defended the government’s decision to allow the event to proceed on Sunday, pointing out there was no reason to ban it in the absence of a threat to public order. He urged for calm, calling on Turkish authorities to “avoid all excess and provocations”.

“In these circumstances, it is crucial to show responsibility and to avoid useless controversies,” Ayrault said.

Socialist candidate Benoît Hamon agreed with Ayrault, arguing that France should support freedom of speech.

“I belong to the tradition where, even if I completely disagree with the way in which Erdogan’s Turkey wants to reduce liberties… France’s role is not to ban a debate,” he said.

Hamon stressed, however, that Erdogan’s response to the Netherlands was unacceptable and called on Turkey to “return to reason”.

There are an estimated 700,000 Turks in France, 160,000 of whom live in the country’s northeast. Many travelled from the nearby regions of Alsace and Lorraine to attend the rally in Metz.

Erdogan thanked France on Sunday for allowing Cavusoglu to attend the event, praising the country for “not falling into [the same] trap” as the Netherlands or other European countries.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, REUTERS)

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