Rotterdam police remove Erdogan posters from building's facade

On Sunday night the police removed large posters showing Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan from the facade of a building in Rotterdam. A police spokespersons stated that the posters were removed at the request of Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb after information was received that public order may be compromised, NU.nl reports.

"When the police received new information that the hung posters are leading to tensions between supporters and opponents and putting local residents at risk, the Rotterdam triangle [mayor, police, prosecutor] decided that the posers should be immediately removed", the spokesperson said to NU.nl. Attempts to convince the owner to remove the posters himself, were not getting quick enough results. The police spokesperson stressed that the posters were carefully removed. "They were neatly folded. Not pulled off or torn to pieces."

Rotterdam is in the center of an ongoing political spat between Turkey and the Netherlands, which started last week Saturday when the Netherlands refused two let two Turkish Ministers campaign in the city for a referendum in Turkey that would give Erdogan more power.

According to AD, the building involved is betting office Pazula on Beijerlandselaan in the Rotterdam neighborhood of Feijenoord. Rotterdam city councilors are furious. "This is pure provocation at a very sensitive time", Leefbaar Rotterdam councilor Tanya Hoogwerf said to the newspaper. "The posters are very dominant. It is very forward in such a vulnerable area. Little is needed to kindle the unrest. Only one person has to get angry and you run the risk of fires being set, bringing the safety of the area in danger."

Setkin Sies of ChristenUnie/SGP could also not believe his eyes. "What possesses a person to provoke in this way? This is not good for peace in the city."

Erdogan-foto's op muren. In Turkije? Nee, Beijerlandselaan, Rotterdam. #Turkijerel pic.twitter.com/fwbujXFiRC

— Hakan Büyük (@hakbuyuk) March 19, 2017