Germany accused of taking side in Turkey’s early polls

By Kemal Karadag

YOZGAT, Turkey (AA) - Turkish deputy prime minister on Sunday criticized Germany for allowing pro-PKK rally in Cologne city and accused the Berlin of taking a side in upcoming June 24 elections in Turkey.

"They allowed PKK [supporters] to hold a rally in Cologne. They are not fair and objective towards Turkey. They even do not need to look fair and objective," Bekir Bozdag said at a meeting in central Yozgat province.

His remarks came a day after Turkey's opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), which government accused of being a political front for PKK, held a rally in German city of Cologne on Saturday.

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.

"Germany changed their legislation to prevent all countries to hold rallies in Germany during their election campaigns but their aim was to prevent Turkey," Bozdag said.

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.

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.