Turkish student group in London protests Dutch ban

LONDON

A Turkish student group in London on Sunday protested Dutch government's ban on Turkish ministers, which triggered a tension between the two countries.

A group of about 30 students from Turkish Students Union, or TUSU, gathered in front of the Dutch embassy and shouted: "No to racism".

The protesters carried placards reading "Free Democracy Lessons from Turkey" and "We condemn this attitude of the Netherlands! You can’t stop us!".

The protest came a day after the Dutch government canceled the Turkish foreign minister's flight permit to the Netherlands and then blocked a convoy carrying Turkey’s family minister from entering the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam.

The ministers were due to meet Turkish residents ahead of the April 16 referendum on constitutional reforms in Turkey.

In a press statement, TUSU President Huseyin Duran said European countries permitted terrorist PKK supporters to hold events at EU headquarters and European Parliament's buildings, but banned Turkish students.

"The Netherlands’ mask was torn and their real anti-democratic face came out to surface," said Duran, accusing Dutch authorities of using violence against peaceful Turkish protesters in Rotterdam.

Several people were injured after Dutch police used force to disperse a crowd that gathered in support of Family Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya, who was denied entry to the consulate and forced to leave the country with a police escort.