Huge brawl breaks out in Turkish parliament, with female lawmaker punched in the face after opposition declares President Erdogan’s ruling party a ‘terrorist organisation’
A fierce brawl broke out in the Turkish parliament today after the opposition called President Erdogan’s ruling party a “terrorist organization.”
In extraordinary scenes broadcast on television, blows broke out between lawmakers, with one woman being punched hard in the face.
The commotion came amid heated debate over an opposition lawmaker who has been jailed on what are widely seen as politically motivated charges.
Footage shows Ahmet Sik, a representative from the same party as the jailed deputy, calling members of the ruling party a “terrorist organization.”
In extraordinary scenes, fists were exchanged between lawmakers in the Turkish parliament today after opposition MP Ahmet Sik (left) called the ruling party a “terrorist organisation”
Moments after the insult, former Turkish footballer and deputy of the ruling AKP (Justice and Development Party) approached Alpay Ozalan Sik and grabbed him by the neck
The commotion erupted Friday during a heated debate over an opposition lawmaker who has been jailed on what are widely seen as politically motivated charges
As the fight broke out, more lawmakers appeared and joined the discussion
Blows were thrown from all sides, with one female member being hit in the face
Dozens of delegates subsequently became involved in the melee, with drops of blood visible on the steps leading to the speaker’s lectern
He was then attacked by former footballer Alpay Ozalan, now a member of parliament for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party, while he was speaking on the chamber’s podium.
Dozens of deputies then got involved in the fight. Drops of blood were visible on the steps leading to the speaker’s lectern.
Another opposition member was also injured.
Physical confrontations are not uncommon among Turkish lawmakers.
“It’s a shameful situation,” said Ozgur Ozel, who leads the main opposition party. “Instead of words flying through the air, there are fists flying, there is blood on the ground. They are beating women.”
The extraordinary session of the Turkish Grand National Assembly was convened to debate the case of Can Atalay, who was elected from prison as a member of parliament for the Turkish Workers’ Party (TIP) in last year’s elections.
The year before, he had been sentenced to 18 years in prison for his role in the 2013 anti-government protests that challenged the power of Erdogan, then Turkey’s prime minister.
Since his election, Atalay has been running for a seat in parliament, which gives him immunity from prosecution and could see him released from Marmara Prison.
He has said that he will go back to prison after his sentence ends.
Although he has won successful rulings from the Constitutional Court, these have been ignored by lower courts, leading to a legal crisis and a sense of injustice among his supporters.
In its third ruling in Atalay’s favour, the Constitutional Court earlier this month ruled that the decision to strip him of his parliamentary status was “null and void”.
Opposition parties then demanded a special session to discuss the matter.
The shocking images from inside the Turkish parliament were broadcast on television as the brawl continued
It is said that physical confrontations are not uncommon among Turkish lawmakers
Atalay’s conviction, along with that of seven other suspects in the Gezi Park case, drew widespread criticism from human rights groups and lawyers.
Philanthropist Osman Kavala was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The European Court of Human Rights has twice called for his release, finding his detention arbitrary and politically motivated.
Ozgur Ozel, leader of the main opposition party, called the scenes “a shameful situation”
The parliamentary session resumed after three hours, with both Sik and his attacker receiving a reprimand from the Speaker of Parliament
The Gezi Park protests began in the summer of 2013 with an environmental camp to stop the construction of a central park in Istanbul.
Discontent quickly spread to other cities as people protested against Erdogan’s increasingly authoritarian rule.
“Atalay’s personal freedom and security, as well as his right to be elected, which the Constitutional Court ruled had been violated, must be restored,” Amnesty International’s Turkey office said in a social media post on Friday.
After three hours, the parliamentary session resumed, with both Sik and his attacker receiving a reprimand from the Speaker of Parliament.