Tensions boiled over into physical violence between the Turkish supporters of President Erdoğan and Kurdish protestors in front of the Turkish Embassy residence in Washington, D.C. today.
The incident occurred outside the official residence of Turkish Ambassador Serdar Kılıç, who Erdoğan was visiting following his meeting with President Donald Trump earlier in the day. Ambassador Kılıç came out of his residence to talk to police once the violence escalated.
Over a dozen people were demonstrating and carrying signs calling for the freeing of Selahattin Demirtaş, an imprisoned Kurdish politician. The other group present were pro-Erdoğan Turks carrying Turkish flags and were lingering outside of the Ambassador’s residence.
One woman yelled at the pro-Erdoğan faction during a moment of semi-civility: “Those people are terrorists! Those Turkish are terrorists!”
The following is a video of the fights via America’s Voice, a Turkish-language news outlet:
Slurs were thrown back and forth by the crowds and the verbal abuse matched the brutality of the physical violence. When the fights came they came with excessive violence that is rarely seen in the U.S. as far as political conflicts and clashes with protestors go. Individuals were bloodied and beaten with numerous individuals being relentlessly kicked by waves of pro-Erdoğan figures.
Some of Erdoğan’s security detail were allegedly involved in the fights. The police did their best to stop the skirmish.
You can watch a second video of the fights below:
#Erdoğan‘ın korumaları kavgaya karıştı https://t.co/gsi1iQ68Ye #amerikaninsesi pic.twitter.com/Jv3g5E7AVA
— Amerika’nın Sesi (@VOATurkish) May 17, 2017
