BRUSSELS – Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel warned that the government will not tolerate violence as Turks living abroad vote on a referendum that would give Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan more power.
Belgian media reported that as voters lined up at the Turkish embassy in Brussels on Thursday, fighting broke out amid Erdoğan’s supporters and opponents.
Michel condemned the fighting in a Twitter message and said he will “apply zero tolerance for violence surrounding the Turkish referendum.”
Turkish citizens in six European countries have until April 9 to vote in the referendum. The deadline in Turkey is a week later.
Relations between European Union nations and Turkey have progressively worsened as the referendum nears, with Erdoğan accusing nations like the Netherlands and Germany of Nazi practices to contain or ban demonstrations.