Assault on protesters outside the Turkish Embassy in Washington DC in May 2017

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Protest in Washington DC 2017
date May 16
place Washington, DC , USA
output
Parties to the conflict

TurkeyTurkey Members of the Turkish Police

  • Erdogan sympathizers

Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia

Protesters

losses
11 injured

The attack on demonstrators at the Turkish Embassy in Washington, DC took place on May 16, 2017, when a scuffle broke out between bodyguards belonging to the Turkish police and entourage of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and protesters against his person and politics.

Employees of the Turkish police and Erdoğan's sympathizers attacked a group of demonstrators in front of the embassy premises on Sheridan Circle . Some of the protesters berating President Erdoğan carried the flag of the YPG , which is classified as a terrorist organization in Turkey but not in the United States. The United States government, in turn, supports the YPG as an allied in the civil war in Syria .

Assault

The protesters, including Kurds and Armenians, met in front of the Turkish embassy. Opposite them were security officers and pro-Erdogan demonstrators. The American policemen of the Metropolitan Police who were on site at the time urged both parties to exercise restraint. After Erdoğan's motorcade had reached the Turkish embassy and came to a stop, Turkish security officers and Erdogan sympathizers broke the demonstration into a scuffle.

Video recordings of the event. Source: Voice of America

Video recordings of the course of events document the beating attack on the protesters, some of whom were kicked while lying on the ground. American police officers were outnumbered at the time and were only given reinforcements after personal injury had already occurred. Erdoğan had previously met with US President Donald Trump and was able to witness the brawl from the embassy premises.

Source Voice of America .
Source: Voice of America
Source: Voice of America .

Reactions

United States

Shortly after the protests ended, American lawyers and politicians condemned the incident. Republican Senator John McCain has called for the Turkish ambassador to be expelled . Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill agreed to the request. The mayor of Washington, DC , Muriel Bowser , called the attack "an attack on the values and rights of Americans."

A group of 30 American politicians, led by Carolyn Maloney , wrote a letter to Foreign Secretary Rex Tillerson calling for the Turkish officials to be prosecuted. Tillerson replied that he would wait for the State Department's findings before making a decision. The Washington police announced the arrest of two suspects in connection with the bloody assault on May 17th and commented on the incident: "The assaults contradict the 1st Amendment to the United States Constitution and all the principles for which we work every day, to protect them ”.

On May 18 ordered Thomas A. Shannon , Undersecretary of State in the Foreign Ministry , the Turkish Ambassador Serdar Kılıç one.

Turkey

The Turkish Embassy in Washington, DC accused the demonstrators of being responsible for the violent confrontation through "aggressive provocation": "Turkish-American civilians who wanted to greet the Turkish President felt compelled to defend themselves and defended themselves."

The state news agency Anadolu Ajansı reported that the protest "turned into a violent clash with the demonstrators throwing water bottles"; only afterwards "other Turkish-American civilians intervened together with security forces."

On May 18, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu accused US diplomat Brett McGurk of supporting the PKK and "thereby also supporting a terrorist organization condemned in the USA".

On May 22 ordered Turkey to the American ambassador to Turkey one, criticized the "aggressive and unprofessional approach of American security officials" and called for "a comprehensive investigation of the incident, together with a necessary explanation". Erdogan criticized: "If these bodyguards are not supposed to protect me, why should I take them to America with me?"

Effects

Assaulting protesting civilians is considered a violation of Amendment 1 to the United States Constitution , which guarantees freedom of expression and assembly .

Congress decision

On June 6, 2017, the United States House of Representatives demanded in a resolution that was passed by 397 votes to 0 that every Turkish official should appear before a US court for cracking down on the protests. The Turkish government replied that the decision was "politicized and falsified" and directed "against the spirit of alliance and partnership between two nations".

The Congressman Steny Hoyer commented, such an incident could the United States "will not tolerate". His colleague Ed Royce characterized the act of violence as "repression on American soil". Both spoke out in favor of halting a $ 1.2 million handguns business with Turkey. The Speaker of the House Paul Ryan called on the Turkish government to "take responsibility for the egregious incident and apologize to those who were injured."

Arrests and searches

On June 14th, two suspects were arrested. On June 15, 2017, the US judiciary announced that 37 of the 42 people involved had so far been identified. The police are investigating everyone involved in the dispute. So far, arrest warrants have been issued against 16 suspects , including 12 bodyguards of the Turkish president.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Trump to send arms to Kurdish YPG in Syria , Al Jazeera . May 10, 2017. Retrieved on May 24. 2017.  Josie Ensor: Erdogan's bodyguards in violent clash with protesters in Washington, leaving nine injured. In: The Daily Telegraph , May 17, 2017.
  2. ^ Turkey's president had a bad NATO summit, too . In: The Economist , May 27, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2017. Violence Breaks Out During Protest At Turkish Embassy In Washington, DC , National Public Radio . May 17, 2017. Retrieved May 22, 2017.   
  3. ^ Fight Outside Turkish Ambassador's Residence in Washington Injures 9 . In: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , May 17, 2017. Retrieved May 24, 2017. 
  4. ↑ Raw: Video shows Erdogan observing clashes in DC . In: USA Today , May 18, 2017. Retrieved May 22, 2017. 
  5. ↑ a b US summons Turkey envoy for embassy brawl , BBC. May 18, 2017. Retrieved May 22, 2017. 
  6. ↑ a b Jessica Gresko: State Dept. Criticizes Turkey for Violence Outside Embassy , US News & World Report . May 17, 2017. Retrieved May 22, 2017. 
  7. ^ US, Turkey dispute fighting in DC as ambassador summoned , ABC News . May 22, 2017. 
  8. ^ Tillerson waits on Turkey embassy brawl; McCain says 'look at the clip' , Fox News . May 21, 2017. Retrieved May 22, 2017. 
  9. ↑ Did the Turkish President's Security Detail Attack Protesters in Washington? What the Video Shows , The New York Times . May 26, 2017. Retrieved May 27, 2017. 
  10. ↑ a b Kareem Fahim: Turkey condemns US over 'aggressive' acts against Erdoğan's guards during DC visit . In: The Washington Post , May 22, 2017. 
  11. ↑ Rich Lowry: Not On Our Soil , National Review. May 23, 2017, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2017. 
  12. ↑ a b c D.C. Police Say 2 Arrests Made in Turkish Embassy Melee Case , NBC News. June 14, 2017. Retrieved June 15, 2017. 
  13. ↑ SPIEGEL ONLINE, Hamburg Germany: Violence in front of the embassy in Washington: Erdogan wants to challenge arrest warrants against bodyguards - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Politics. Retrieved June 17, 2017 .
  14. ↑ Turkey henchmen kick First Amendment , USA Today . May 24, 2017, 2017. Retrieved June 15, 2017.  Megan R. Wilson: Turkish Embassy calls violent clash with protesters in DC 'self-defense' . May 17, 2017, 2017. Retrieved June 15, 2017. "The conflict, which happened during rush hour on Tuesday, has sparked outrage from US lawmakers and officials who raised concerns about violating the First Amendment rights of protesters." 
  15. ↑ a b c House Votes to Condemn Turkish Security Attack on Protesters . In: New York Times , June 6, 2017. 
  16. ↑ a b US Congress calls for charges over Turkey embassy brawl , BBC . June 7, 2017. Retrieved June 6, 2017. 
  17. ↑ Turkey rejects US resolution condemning bodyguards' attacks . In: The Washington Post , June 7, 2017. 
  18. ↑ Lawmakers Call On State Dept To Scrap $ 1.2 Million Gun Sale To Turkey Over Embassy Beatdown , Daily Caller . June 1, 2017. Retrieved June 7, 2017. 
  19. ↑ a b Turkey’s Erdoğan slams US move to issue warrants for bodyguards , Hürriyet Daily News . 15th June 2017.