“NAZISM is alive in the West,” declared Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday after the Netherlands blocked weekend rallies whipping up support for his power-grab referendum.

The authoritarian leader demanded international sanctions against his Nato ally after Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Families Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya were prevented from campaigning among Turkish immigrants ahead of the April 16 referendum concentrating greater power in the president’s hands.

Dutch authorities refused to even let Mr Cavusoglu’s plane land in Amsterdam.

Ms Kaya crossed the border from Germany by road to attend a Rotterdam rally, only to be stopped by police and unceremoniously sent back.

“I am being taken to Germany via the Nijmegen border with democratic and humanitarian values trampled underfoot,” Ms Kaya tweeted.

“The whole world should take a stance against such a fascist implementation in the name of democracy.”

France allowed Mr Cavusoglu to address a rally in Metz yesterday.

Protests erupted overnight outside the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam and the Dutch consulate in Istanbul.

Dutch police used truncheons and water cannon to disperse protesters, arresting 12.

In Istanbul a man climbed onto the roof of the consulate and replaced the Dutch flag with the Turkish one as others chanted: “Racist Holland.”

Mr Erdogan claimed Amsterdam would “pay the price” for the insult, urging international bodies to “raise their voice” against the Netherlands, which he dubbed the “capital of fascism.”

But Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders said no apologies would be forthcoming.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte claimed he was forced to act after Mr Cavosoglu threatened “severe sanctions” if he was not allowed into the the country.

But he said his government “will keep working to de-escalate where we can. If the Turks choose to escalate, we will have to react, but we will do everything we can to de-escalate.”

Mr Rutte may be playing to the gallery ahead of Wednesday’s elections.

His main challenger, racist Party for Freedom leader Geert Wilders staged a protest outside the Turkish embassy last week against the visits.