Hundreds of people protest in Cologne against Erdogan’s visit

Hundreds of people gathered in the German city of Cologne on Saturday to protest against a visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Erdogan is due to open a mosque built by a group with ties to Turkey in the city on Saturday.

Several thousand people also demonstrated against the Turkish leader in Berlin on Friday night.

Erdogan is in Germany for a visit aimed at reducing tensions between the two Nato allies.

He had breakfast with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Saturday.

Germany and Turkey have clashed over numerous issues in recent years, including Turkey’s jailing of German journalists.

The rhetoric escalated to the point where Mr Erdogan called Germany’s mainstream parties “enemies of Turkey” and accused German officials of acting like Nazis, prompting Mrs Merkel to condemn his comments.

Press Association