A fierce brawl broke out in the Turkish parliament today after the opposition called President Erdogan’s ruling party a “terrorist organisation”.
In extraordinary scenes, which were televised, blows broke out between lawmakers, resulting in one woman being brutally punched in the face.
The furor erupted during a heated debate over an opposition delegate, who has been jailed on charges widely seen as politically motivated.
The footage shows Ahmet Sik, a representative of the same party as the jailed MP, calling members of the ruling party a “terrorist organisation”.
In extraordinary scenes today, clashes broke out in the Turkish parliament between lawmakers, after opposition member Ahmet Sik (left) called the ruling party a “terrorist organisation”.
Moments after the insult, former Turkish footballer and ruling AKP (Justice and Development Party) MP Alpay Ozalan approached Sik and grabbed his neck.
The furor erupted on Friday during a heated debate over an opposition delegate who has been jailed on what are widely seen as politically motivated charges.
When the fight broke out, more lawmakers appeared and got involved in the discussion.
Punches were thrown from all sides, and one female member was hit in the face.
Dozens of lawmakers were involved in the fight, with drops of blood visible on the steps leading to the speaker’s lectern.
He was then accosted and attacked by former footballer Alpay Ozalan, now a lawmaker from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party, as he spoke at the chamber’s podium.
Dozens of lawmakers were involved in the fight, and drops of blood were visible on the steps leading to the speaker’s lectern.
Another opposition member was also reported to have been injured.
Physical clashes are not uncommon among Turkish lawmakers.
“It’s a shameful situation,” said Ozgur Ozel, who heads the largest opposition party. “Instead of words flying through the air, fists are flying, there is blood on the ground. Women are being beaten.”
The extraordinary session of the Turkish Grand National Assembly was called to discuss the case of Can Atalay, who was elected from prison as a parliamentary deputy for the Workers’ Party of Turkey, or TIP, in last year’s elections.
He had been sentenced the previous year to 18 years in prison for his role in the 2013 anti-government protests that challenged the rule of Erdogan, then Turkey’s prime minister.
Since being elected, Atalay has been fighting to regain his seat in parliament, which grants him immunity from prosecution and would free him from Marmara prison.
He said he would return to prison once his sentence is over.
Although he has secured successful rulings from the Constitutional Court, these have been ignored by lower courts, sparking a judicial crisis and fuelling a sense of injustice among his supporters.
In its third ruling in favor of Atalay, the Constitutional Court said earlier this month that the decision to strip him of his parliamentary status was “null and void.”
The opposition parties then demanded a special session to discuss the case.
Shocking scenes from inside the Turkish parliament were televised as the fighting continued.
Physical fights are said to be not uncommon among Turkish lawmakers.
Atalay’s conviction, along with that of seven other defendants in the Gezi Park case, sparked widespread criticism from human rights groups and lawyers.
Philanthropist Osman Kavala was jailed for life without parole.
The European Court of Human Rights has twice called for his release, saying his detention was arbitrary and politically motivated.
Ozgur Ozel, head of the largest opposition party, called the scenes “a shameful situation.”
The parliamentary session resumed after three hours, with both Sik and his attacker accepting reprimands from the parliament speaker.
The Gezi Park protests began in the summer of 2013 with an environmental camp to stop the development of a park in central Istanbul.
The discontent soon spread to other cities as people protested against Erdogan’s increasingly authoritarian rule.
“Atalay’s personal freedom and safety, as well as his right to be elected, which the Constitutional Court ruled were violated, must be restored,” Amnesty International’s Turkey office said in a social media post on Friday.
The parliamentary session resumed after three hours, with both Sik and his attacker accepting reprimands from the parliament speaker.
