U.S. decries Washington brawl during Turkish president's visit

[webfact]

U.S. decries Washington brawl during Turkish president's visit

By Yeganeh Torbati and Julia Harte

REUTERS

 

A Police officer push a man away from protesters, in this still image captured from a video footage, during a violent clash outside the Turkish ambassador's residence between protesters and Turkish security personnel during Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Washington, DC, U.S. on May 16, 2017. Courtesy Armenian National Committee of America/Handout via REUTERS

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said on Wednesday that it was voicing its "strongest possible" concern to Turkey over a street brawl that erupted between protesters and Turkish security personnel during President Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Washington, D.C.

 

Turkey blamed the violence outside its ambassador's residence on demonstrators linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), but Washington's police chief called it a "brutal attack" on peaceful protesters.

 

Police said 11 people were injured, including a Washington police officer, and two people were arrested for assault. At least one of those arrested was a protester.

 

"We are communicating our concern to the Turkish government in the strongest possible terms," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.

 

A video posted online showed men in dark suits chasing anti-government protesters and punching and kicking them as police intervened. Two men were bloodied from head wounds as bystanders assisted dazed protesters.

 

Washington Police Chief Peter Newsham said at a news conference on Wednesday that police had a good idea of most of the assailants' identities and were investigating with the Secret Service and State Department.

 

A charging document for one of those arrested, Ayten Necmi, 49, of Woodside, New York, said peaceful protesters were taunted by a second group of demonstrators who shouted obscenities and taunts at them.

 

The document said that four or five Middle Eastern men in dark suits from the second group assaulted the peaceful protesters. It said that about eight people told officers they were attacked, thrown on the ground and stomped.

 

The Turkish Embassy said in a statement that the protesters were affiliated with the outlawed PKK. The group is considered a terrorist group by both Turkey and the United States.

 

The embassy said that Erdogan was in the ambassador's residence after meeting President Donald Trump, and Turkish-Americans who were there to greet him responded to provocations from PKK-linked protesters.

 

"The violence and injuries were the result of this unpermitted, provocative demonstration," the statement said. The claim that protesters were linked to the PKK could not immediately be verified by Reuters.

 

Tens of thousands of Turks have been detained as Erdogan cracked down on the press and academia following an attempted coup in 2016. Trump made no mention on Tuesday of Erdogan's record on dissent and free speech.

 

House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce, a California Republican, called on Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson "to hold individuals accountable" for the attack.

 

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser and five Republican senators, including John McCain of Arizona and Marco Rubio of Florida, also condemned the assault.

 

Mehmet Tankan, 31, said he was one of a dozen protesters outside the ambassador’s residence chanting anti-Erdogan slogans when the brawl broke out.

 

Tankan said by telephone that seven security personnel, some carrying firearms, rushed up and began punching him, bruising him all over his body.

 

Tankan said the violence was worse than when Erdogan visited Washington in 2016 and scuffles erupted between his security detail and demonstrators.

 

“The next time they could kill us easily. I’m scared now too, because I don’t know how it will affect my life here in the United States,” said Tankan, who lives in Arlington, Virginia.

 

(Reporting by Yeganeh Torbati, Julia Harte and Ian Simpson; Writing by Ian Simpson; Editing by Richard Chang, Tom Brown and David Gregorio)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-05-18

[Credo]

The US certainly doesn't need to import any police violence.   

[DoctorG]

Those Turkish security guys were acting like the thugs that they are.

[Scott]

I lived in Turkey for nearly a year, quite a while ago and the Turkish security officials and police are not to be toyed with.   I witness them shoot two drunk guys who they thought were fighting.   The two guys weren't fighting, they were trying to light a cigarette -- with one holding the cigarette and weaving around and the other with a lighter, equally as unsteady.   The bullet traveled right past I and a friend.

 

Another Turkish friend was picked up for nothing in particular and was taken to the police station.  The next day, his brother showed up and asked if I would go to the police station and help get him out.   The police had broken both his arms.  

 

He had done nothing.   No charges were pressed and he was released.  

[Grouse]

Kick them out of NATO.

 

Not needed, not wanted

 

 

[Baerboxer]

6 hours ago, DoctorG said:

Those Turkish security guys were acting like the thugs that they are.

 

I watched a video of this on FB. It was clear that the men in the dark suits were doing the attacking and the assaulting - on anyone they considered protesting. Quite brutal assaults too - punching people to the ground and kicking and stamping on them.

 

The police, and there were plenty of officers deployed, seemed to stand off and when finally responding were almost gentle in the way they intervened with the suited thugs. Very unlike US police.

 

Seems that the suited guys also had nice lapel ID badges. Bit like the secret service wear.

[Srikcir]

Trump probably thanked Erdogan for the assistance.

[elgordo38]

13 hours ago, webfact said:

"We are communicating our concern to the Turkish government in the strongest possible terms," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.

Donald Trump to  President Tayyip Erdogan' What time shall we meet for cocktails tomorrow?

[Cats4ever]

Erdogan is hoping to revive the Ottoman Empire. On the way he is a fascist (quasi) dictator who has killed a very nice country.

[mrwebb8825]

Of course, all of you are already sure that the protesters aren't affiliated with PKK. 

On 5/18/2017 at 8:38 AM, webfact said:

The Turkish Embassy said in a statement that the protesters were affiliated with the outlawed PKK. The group is considered a terrorist group by both Turkey and the United States.

The "attackers" may very well have been doing a service for the US in identifying members of a known terrorist group. I hope they (the protesters) were all rounded up and investigated and IF found to be affiliated with the terrorist group, sent back to Turkey to be dealt with.

All those associated with the Turkish Embassy have diplomatic immunity which is covered by the constitution which you defend as NOT being "archaic and outdated" but NOW you want President Trump to take the fall for that too.

[ilostmypassword]

16 minutes ago, mrwebb8825 said:

Of course, all of you are already sure that the protesters aren't affiliated with PKK. 

The "attackers" may very well have been doing a service for the US in identifying members of a known terrorist group. I hope they (the protesters) were all rounded up and investigated and IF found to be affiliated with the terrorist group, sent back to Turkey to be dealt with.

All those associated with the Turkish Embassy have diplomatic immunity which is covered by the constitution which you defend as NOT being "archaic and outdated" but NOW you want President Trump to take the fall for that too.

Where is diplomatic immunity mentioned in the Constitution?  I await the information with interest. And do you know fodr a fact that the security people with Erdogan had diplomatic immunity?

"Though visiting leaders and some members of their group are protected by this customary immunity, workers at actual embassies and consulates are protected through the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which provides absolute immunity to ambassadors and senior diplomats. Accredited technical and administrative staff are afforded more limited immunity for official acts."

https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2017-05-17/erdogan-guards-might-not-have-immunity-to-beat-protesters-in-us

 

“You just have to figure out which box they are in,” Weiner says about permanent embassy or consular staff, which can be done by reviewing State Department records to determine how such workers are classified.

And the Turkish government under Erdogan accuses everybody who opposes it of being in league with terrorists or putchists.  

Maybe the Turkish security forces can do the US some more favors and start beating on other protesting groups.

 

[boomerangutang]

                             I resided in Wash DC for many years.  I know exactly where that grassy area is.  It's a short distance from the VP's residence, which is the Naval Observatory grounds (and residence of the Joint Chief of Staff) before becoming the VP's place.  It's also a road with many expensive houses and several embassies.   

 

                           Erdogan and Trump probably privately joked about Turkish thugs beating up on peaceful protesters.  Despots are drawn to each other, like birds of a feather.

 

                    BTW, PKK is a terrorist organization only according to Chief Thug Erdogan and his minions.  To everyone else in that region, PKK is a resistance movement. 

 

                A breaking story this morning tells of Malaysian authorities forcefully sending 3 Turkish men back to Turkey.  Malaysians said it was because of 'security risks' - which is utter horseshit.  Those 3 will, at the least, be imprisoned and tortured.  More likely will be shot and killed.   Their crime:  Not praising Erdogan.

[Srikcir]

1 hour ago, mrwebb8825 said:

All those associated with the Turkish Embassy have diplomatic immunity

No. I can think of at least 3 exceptions.

• Lower-ranking officials have a weaker type of protection called "functional immunity" that covers only for crimes committed within the scope of their regular work responsibilities. If such an officer got involved in a bar fight, he would not be covered by diplomatic immunity.  http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2010/04/cant_touch_this.html
• Service staff for an embassy or consulate, from the kitchen employees to the valets, have no immunity whatsoever. ditto link
• Unregistered incognito (aka spies) Foreign agents operating in the US.

[maewang99]

this is a huuuge click bait title for me... the "US" says.....

you mean like "China" this and that.... and "Thai" this and that and this and that?

 

there are 300 million of us and we are not the same. not at all.

 

yeah we have Batman... the Batmobile.. the Batcopter, his Batphone.... and gun shootings and prisons, on those you can nail us. but that's all.

 

did I miss anything?





 

Edited May 21, 2017 by maewang99