Say the word “Erdogan” on Oranienstrasse, and it won't be long before a debate ensues.

This is a district of Berlin with a high number of residents who are of Turkish descent. Many have lived here and in other parts of Germany for decades. Numbering some 3 million people, this country has the largest Turkish expatriate community in the world.

And on the day the Turkish president's plane touched down, Recep Tayyip Erdogan's three-day state visit is clearly on people's minds.

"I like Erdogan and his politics,” said Hayat Kazanci as he stacked the fruit shelves at the Istanbul Supermarket, because “he represents a big opportunity for the world." Kazanci has lived in Germany since 1992, but keeps strong links with his homeland, with another visit to Turkey planned for the New Year.

Many Turkish residents do the same, which partly explains why stalled plans to ease visa restrictions as part of Turkey's supposed accession talks to join the European Union had once been high on the political agenda.

It is not just Kazanci's travel plans that fit a pattern. Many Germans struggle to understand how those who chose to move to a stable European democracy – let alone their children - could support a leader whom critics accuse of cracking down on freedoms at home.

But they do.

Sixty-three percent of Germany's Turkish population reportedly voted in favor of President Erdogan's controversial Constitutional Reforms in a 2016 referendum to give the office of the presidency sweeping new powers. In June this year, an even higher percentage backed the incumbent in Turkish elections.

Hassan Huseyin Bayraktar was not one of them. As a Kurdish activist, Bayraktar left Turkey for Germany in 1981, shortly before a full-scale conflict ensued between the Turkish state and Kurdish militants. 

"He is not a stable democrat,” he said, standing next to one of the posters he's been sticking to walls and lampposts in the area, depicting Erdogan's face with a line through it and a caption reading “Not Welcome.” 

Of the 3 million people of Turkish origin living in Germany, some 1 million are Kurds. They will be vocal among the protest gatherings planned in both Berlin and Cologne in the coming days, as Erdogan visits both cities.

Serap, 31, has been tearing down the posters her Kurdish neighbor has been putting up. “Erdogan has global respect and Germany has to see that,” she said. “He doesn't bow his head to the powerful.”

There might be no head-bowing in the coming days, but the Turkish leader is in a tight spot and the Turkish leader is in a tight spot and has come seeking support.

Turkish voters living in Germany, however, are divided on how much support Berlin should grant.