Turkish Foreign Ministry summons Swiss deputy ambassador over PKK rally in Bern

The Turkish Foreign Ministry on March 25 summoned Switzerland's deputy ambassador to Ankara to express their reaction over an outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) rally targeting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the Swiss capital Bern.

An official said the ministry protested the meeting of the PKK supporters and conveyed Ankara's reaction to the deputy chief of mission of Switzerland in Ankara as the ambassador, Walter Haffner, was not in the city at the time.       

Erdoğan was targeted at the rally with a banner that read "Kill Erdoğan." The Swiss police did not interfere against the banner, which had a photo of Erdoğan with a gun pointed to his temple. 
    
"We are protesting this rally that explicitly promoted violence and terrorism and has been permitted, and we ask Switzerland to take immediate legal action against this offense," the ministry said in a statement late on March 25.   

It also added that Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu called his Swiss counterpart about the rally, expressing his reaction.

A spokesman for the Swiss Foreign Ministry said the incident would be investigated.

Supporters of the PKK, as well as the outlawed Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP-C), and the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) took part in the rally in front of the Federal Parliament building, located in Parliament Square in Bern.      

The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland (SP) and The Swiss Green Party also supported the rally, which was attended by approximately 250 sympathizers of the PKK. Around 3,000 people were expected to attend the rally. 

PKK supporters shouted slogans against Erdoğan and chanted their support for a 'no' vote in the April 16 referendum on...