Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has described Europe as "fascist and cruel" and said it resembles the pre-World War Two era amid a row over the banning of several Turkish rallies.

Mr Erdogan said Turkey may review its ties with Europe after an April referendum he hopes will give him sweeping new powers.

Turkey is mired in a diplomatic crisis with Europe after Germany and the Netherlands banned several rallies intended to bolster support for the referendum, leading Mr Erdogan to brand the Netherlands "Nazi remnants" and accuse Germany of "fascist actions".

Mr Erdogan said Turkey will no longer be threatened by the European Union membership process and added that, from now on, it will not allow any Europeans on Turkish soil to carry out "spying" under various pretexts.

He also said Turkey could no longer be pressured by considerations such as a $6bn (£4.9bn) deal under which it agreed to stop illegal migrants from crossing into Greece in exchange for financial aid and accelerated EU membership talks.

Erdogan accuses Merkel of Nazi practices: Any country that harms a Turk will "face the consequences"

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has demanded Turkey stop comparing the bans to Nazi tactics and the head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany accused Mr Erdogan of disrespecting the memory of the victims of the Holocaust.

"The comparisons between today's Federal Republic of Germany and National Socialism, which we have heard in recent days, are not only insulting and absolutely false — they also relativize the Nazis' rule of terror," Josef Schuster said, German newspaper Die Welt reported.

"The comparison is monstrous and denigrates the suffering of the victims of the Shoah."

Mr Schuster added: "In a time in which anti-semitism and right-wing populism are on the rise, this completely inappropriate comparison and the trivialisation it entails of the horrific deeds of the Nazis downplay the true threat."

Ms Merkel said Turkey should stop Nazi comparisons "with no ifs or buts."

"Unfortunately, we have observed that these comparisons have not stopped, and we will not tolerate that every taboo is broken," she told reporters at the CeBIT technology fair in Hanover over the weekend

A Turkish tabloid depicted Ms Merkel as 'Mrs Hitler'

The controversy deepened last week when a Turkish pro-government newspaper depicted Ms Merkel as Adolf Hitler on its front page, branding her "Mrs Hitler."

The right-wing tabloid accused the German chancellor of attempting to lead a fascist movement against Turkey.

It came days after Germany's biggest-selling newspaper Bild attacked Mr Erdogan for threatening the stability of Europe through his "lust for power."

“Bild tells the truth to Erdogan’s face — you are not a democrat! You are hurting your country! You are not welcome here!” the German newspaper said.

In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Show all 17 1 /17 In pictures: Turkey coup attempt In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish President Erdogan attends the funeral service for victims of the thwarted coup in Istanbul at Fatih mosque on July 17, 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey Burak Kara/Getty Images In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Soldiers involved in the coup attempt surrender on Bosphorus bridge with their hands raised in Istanbul on 16 July, 2016 Gokhan Tan/Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt A civilian beats a soldier after troops involved in the coup surrendered on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey, 16 July, 2016 REUTERS/Murad Sezer In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Surrendered Turkish soldiers who were involved in the coup are beaten by a civilian Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Soliders involved in the coup attempt surrender on Bosphorus bridge Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wave flags as they capture a Turkish Army vehicle Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt People pose near a tank after troops involved in the coup surrendered on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey, 16 July, 2016 Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers block Istanbul's Bosphorus Brigde Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt A Turkish military stands guard near the Taksim Square in Istanbul Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Pierre Crom/Twitter In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers secure the area as supporters of Recep Tayyip Erdogan protest in Istanbul's Taksim square AP In pictures: Turkey coup attempt People demonstrate in front of the Republic Monument at the Taksim Square in Istanbul Murad Sezer/Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers detain police officers during a security shutdown of the Bosphorus Bridge Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish Army armoured personnel carriers in the main streets of Istanbul Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Chaos reigned in Istanbul as tanks drove through the streets EPA/TOLGA BOZOGLU In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks to media in the resort town of Marmaris Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Supporters of President Erdogan celebrate in Ankara following the suppression of the attempted coup Reuters

Turkish hackers also spread Nazi accusations across high profile Twitter accounts, posting pro-Erdogan messages from accounts including Amnesty International, BBC North America and Forbes.

Mr Erdogan has also vowed to reinstate capital punishment "without hesitation" after the referendum and accused Europe of starting a "clash" between Christianity and Islam after a ruling allowed employers to ban headscarves as part of wider restrictions on religious and political symbols.

EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn told Bild Turkey's prospects for joining the EU would be "increasingly unrealistic" unless it changed course and stopped moving away from European values.

Mr Hahn said the EU had repeatedly voiced its concerns about the "increasingly authoritarian path of President Erdogan."