Dutch police early today used dogs and a water cannon to disperse hundreds of demonstrators who had gathered outside the Turkish Consulate to protest The Netherlands' decision to bar Turkish ministers from campaigning amongst Turkish emigres ahead of the April 16 referendum.

Several demonstrators were beaten by police with batons.

Police carried out charges on horseback, while officers advanced on foot with shields and armoured vans as some demonstrators threw bottles and stones.

The row over Ankara's political campaigning among Turkish emigres led President Tayyip Erdogan to brand its fellow NATO member a "Nazi remnant".

The dispute escalated into a major diplomatic incident in the evening, as Turkey's Family Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya, was prevented by police from entering the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam.

Hundreds of protesters waving Turkish flags gathered outside, demanding to see the minister. At one point a few thousand arrived to stage the protest.

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