Pro/Anti-Erdoğan Demonstrators fight in DC

[Beny Karachun]

Antifa, wrong group.

And your statement is no different than what the Turks or Armenians/Kurds will say, the other side attacked first.

Antifa and BDS supporters attacked them.

I don't see a reason why a group of people will attack bodyguards when there are cops nearby them

 

[T-123456]

Any protest against Turkey is one against Erdogan. But when support is given to terrorist groups....

What are you talking about,an Armenian only protests the so called Armenian genocide claim,he/she doesnt care for anything else.
The PKK supporter is against my country,doesnt matter who is in charge.

 

[Beny Karachun]

What are you talking about,an Armenian only protests the so called Armenian genocide claim,he/she doesnt care for anything else.
The PKK supporter is against my country,doesnt matter who is in charge.

You deny the Armenian genocide?

 

[-------]

Yea I bet Erdogan was on top of the embassy guiding his followers and security forces to 'suppress' these protesters.

If you took care to watch any of the unedited videos out there of this incident, you would clearly see Armenian-PKK provocateurs throwing bottles at the guards. US Police failed to maintain order, Turkish guards in-self defence reacted and hit out at the leaders of the provocation - ie, the ones on opposing side who bled or were cowering on the floor in the fetal position. Also this protest was not Anti-Erdogan, but Anti-Turkey, this is clear via participation of Armenians and disrespect of Turkish flag.

 

[T-123456]

I believe they were shouting, "Free Demirtas!"

Then they were PKK supporters.
Demirtas is the jailed head of the HDP(pro PKK) party.

And I'm pretty sure this is an anti-Erdogan thing, not a pro-Turk or pro-Armenian thing. There were never protests in front of the Turkish ambassador's residence in previous decades.

Armenians dont care who is in charge,they hate my country and protest it at every chance they get.

You deny the Armenian genocide?

What genocide are you talking about,i dont know of any ''Armenian genocide''?
I know about the Jewish genocide by Nazi Germany.

 

[Thəorətic Muslim]

I don't see a reason why a group of people will attack bodyguards when there are cops nearby them

What are you talking about,an Armenian only protests the so called Armenian genocide claim,he/she doesnt care for anything else.
The PKK supporter is against my country,doesnt matter who is in charge.

Any protests against Turkey are shown as anti-Erdogan, to impress the viewers that someone is fighting against a "dictator". Apparently there were Armenians in the group, "enemy of my enemy is my friend?"

 

[Solomon2]

Armenians dont care who is in charge,they hate my country and protest it at every chance they get.

No, this protest outside the Ambassador's residence is exceptional. And if it's hate you're concerned about, using thugs with diplomatic immunity to beat up protesters is a sure way to cultivate hate rather than reduce it, yes?

 

[Beny Karachun]

What genocide are you talking about,i dont know of any ''Armenian genocide''?
I know about the Jewish genocide by Nazi Germany.

I guess 1.5 million people vanished, alright

 

[T-123456]

No, this protest outside the Ambassador's residence is exceptional. And if it's hate you're concerned about, using thugs with diplomatic immunity to beat up protesters is a sure way to cultivate hate rather than reduce it, yes?

I dont know what exactly happened there but the Turkish secrurity should have kept their cool.
I blame the DC police for this escalation,they should have kept the protestors at a clear distance which they didnt,i saw protesters attacking the Turks at the other side of the street after which the Turks pushed(hit,kicked) them back to the other side of the street(watch the video) and it further escalated.

 

[Solomon2]

"The Turkish-Americans responded in self-defense," the statement from the Turkish embassy said, adding "We hope that, in the future, appropriate measures will be taken to ensure that similar provocative actions causing harm and violence do not occur."

U.S. officials condemn attack by guards for Turkey's Erdogan on protesters


Peter Hermann and Perry Stein
Washington Post

Tuesday's clash involving protesters and security guards for visiting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan prompted outrage by local and U.S. officials who accused the guards of using violence to quell what had been a peaceful demonstration in Northwest Washington.


District of Columbia police arrested two men, one from Virginia and one from New York, and said they are pursuing charges against additional suspects after the melee outside the Turkish ambassador's residence at Sheridan Circle. Eleven people were injured, among them a police officer. Some were kicked and stomped, their heads bloodied.

Included in the police search are members of Erdogan's armed protective detail, according to two people with direct knowledge of the case. Police are working with the State Department and the Secret Service to identify people seen on videos and obtain arrest warrants even as they anticipated thorny issues involving diplomatic immunity or the special status afforded to those who guard visiting heads of state.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Edward Royce, R-Calif., said that "agents of foreign governments should never be immune from prosecution for felonious behavior." In a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, he urged a quick inquiry and the filing of "appropriate criminal charges" before the security officers leave the country.

In a statement, the State Department said "violence is never an appropriate response to free speech." It added that the United States is "communicating our concern with the Turkish government in the strongest possible terms."

D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham, whose department is leading the investigation, decried the violence. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) said "police are working very hard with our partners to see if we can get to the bottom of this," adding that "it was a pretty savage beating." And Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., added: "This is the United States of America. We do not do this here. There is no excuse for this kind of thuggish behavior."

A Turkish state news agency acknowledged that guards for Erdogan, who had earlier met with President Trump at the White House, had targeted demonstrators. Many of the aggressors seen on video were wearing dark suits and ties, and several had guns. At least two of the guns were seen on video being dropped and then picked up during skirmishes.

In a statement released Wednesday evening, the Turkish Embassy called the demonstration "unpermitted" and "provocative." Officials alleged in the statement that the protesters were affiliated with the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, which is designated a terrorist organization by Turkey and the United States. A protest leader denied that any of the participants were involved with the PKK or sympathized with the group.

"The demonstrators began aggressively provoking Turkish-American citizens" who had gathered to greet Erdogan, the statement said. "The Turkish-Americans responded in self defense and one of them was seriously injured."

The Anadolu news agency also blamed the incident on an "inadequate" response by police, implying anger over authorities not stopping the protest.

Tuesday's melee highlighted the political divisions and conflicts that in some cases have roiled Turkey for decades and have become far more acrimonious and violent of late. After Erdogan's government survived a coup attempt last summer, authorities have pursued a wide-ranging crackdown on enemies and dissidents. Nearly 200,000 people have been arrested, dismissed or suspended from their jobs.

The government has faced a resurgent threat from militant groups, including the Islamic State and the PKK. In turn, militant attacks and the state's iron-fisted response, have fed a deepening sense of political polarization in Turkey.

Tuesday's group was made up of roughly two dozen demonstrators including those angry at Erdogan's crackdown on dissent and his consolidation of power. Others were Kurdish activists, including supporters of a pro-Kurdish political party in Turkey whose leaders have been prosecuted by the Turkish government.

Seyid Riza Dersimi, a 61-year-old Virginia resident who owns a flooring company, said he started organizing Tuesday's protest soon after he learned of Erdogan's visit to the United States. They started outside the White House, where he said Turkish guards taunted them as they chanted, "Erdogan is a dictator!" "Ergodan is ISIS!" and "Mr. Trump, please stop him!"

Later, at the circle on Massachusetts Avenue NW, Dersimi said he was pushed to the ground and repeatedly kicked in the face. He required five stitches in his nose, his lips were busted and he lost a tooth. "This is what happens in Turkey - this is not what happens in the U.S.," he said. "The American police let them attack us."

Court documents describe the demonstration as peaceful until a group of "radicalized protesters began taunting the peaceful protesters." The document says four men in dark clothing then emerged from the crowd and "began attacking several of the peaceful protesters."

The two men arrested by D.C. police were identified as Ayten Necmi, 49, of Woodside, New York, charged with aggravated assault for allegedly punching someone in the face, and Jalal Kheirabaoi, 42, charged with assault on a police officer. Both were released from detention Wednesday.

Necmi said after the hearing that he heard about the protest over social media. He said fights had begun by the time he arrived. His attorney, Gunay Evinch, blamed D.C. police and the Secret Service for "being surprised" by the turnout and overreacting.

Necmi said he and a group of other Turkish individuals came to Washington solely to "welcome the Turkish president."

The Washington Post's Kareem Fahim in Istanbul and Aaron C. Davis, Keith L. Alexander, Carol Morello and Victoria St. Martin in Washington contributed to this report.

 

[T-123456]

I guess 1.5 million people vanished, alright

Wow,never heard of that but what i know is that 3 million Ottomans(mostly Muslims but also some Jews) were killed during WWI,maybe thats what you are talking about?

 

[tesla]

yeah turkey is dictatorship can you tell me why america dont bring democracy to saudia arabia or armenia . hundred thousands armenian works in my country . the so called people should protest armenia government .people die from hungry in threre and migrate to the other countries

 

[Solomon2]

I dont know what exactly happened there but the Turkish secrurity should have kept their cool.

No doubt.

I blame the DC police for this escalation,they should have kept the protestors at a clear distance which they didnt,i saw protesters attacking the Turks at the other side of the street -

The pro-Erdogan crowd was outside the Ambassador's residence. The protesters were in the center of the traffic circle, three traffic lanes over and at least fifty feet away - probably more. There's nothing in the circle except grass and a statue so the protesters were, indeed, "at a clear distance".

...after which the Turks pushed(hit,kicked) them back to the other side of the street(watch the video) and it further escalated.

I see police and dark-suited guys in the street and ambassador's residence side, the dark suits crossing over to scuffle with police and attack the protesters.

 

[T-123456]

I see police and dark-suited guys in the street and ambassador's residence side, the dark suits crossing over to scuffle with police and attack the protesters.

So,you didnt see protesters backing up from the ''Turkish'' side of the street?
Take another look and be fair.
You know me,i tell it as it is.

@Solomon2 ,take a look at the guy in the blue t-shirt,where did it start,he was not on the other side of the street.

How can he be almost at the Turkish side?

 

[Solomon2]

So,you didnt see protesters backing up from the ''Turkish'' side of the street?
Take another look and be fair.

Some protesters appear to have responded to being attacked by fighting back, advancing against their attackers into the street. Police separated those, as well as the dark-suits who still remained in the circle attacking protesters.

Hmm, not all the people attacking the protesters wore dark suits; at least one was in a dark polo and appeared to be taking orders from the dark-suits. He was separated to the residence side of the circle along with the suits. Maybe a provacateur?

The dark-suit who casually kicked the protester who was down and unresisting on the circle side makes an especially bad impression.

The protester in the light blue shirt does seem to have advanced to the middle of the street. Don't know if that was the start of it. And in any event, the separation was being maintained by police and there was ZERO threat to Turkish personnel.

Is it just me or do the guys fighting in the street on both sides seem to be skilled in the same art of unarmed combat?