Speaking to the reporters during an official visit Friday in Turkey’s central Aksaray province, Lutfi Elvan said described the move as “ugly” and “shameful”, adding it “neither complies with freedom of speech nor democratic rights and freedoms”. “It made us more upset as this incident happens in the heart the Europe and in one of the most important countries of the European Union, Germany,” Elvan added.
On Thursday, the municipality of Gaggenau in southwest Germany revoked its permission for Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag's meeting, citing concerns about overcrowding. This prompted the minister to cancel his planned visit to Germany. The “scandal”, Elvan said, showed that Germany had “failed at absorbing the [principle of] freedom of speech”.
Elvan added: “But besides this, Germany has opened its door to terrorist organizations wide open. Today the PKK terrorist organization is acting freely in Germany and their leaders’ statements are given on German TV channels. Is Germany on the side of democracy or on the side of terrorism?”
The cancellation from the Gaggenau municipality has drawn strong criticism from the Turkish government. After the incident, Turkey's Foreign Ministry summoned the German ambassador, Martin Erdmann. The event was organized by the Union of European Turkish Democrats, or UETD.
Germany is home to the largest Turkish expat community in the EU, numbering around 3 million people.