Erdogan’s bodyguards beat up protesters in Washington, D.C.
A demonstration staged to protest Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s official visit to the United States turned bloody when a pro-Erdogan group attacked demonstrators at Sheridan Circle near the residence of the Turkish Ambassador to the U.S.
Asbarez reports, the demonstration began at Lafayette Square at noon, when Erdogan was meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House. The protest was organized by a coalition of organizations, including the Armenian National Committee of America and the American Hellenic Council. Several different groups participated in the protest including representatives from the Armenian, Greek, Kurdish, and Assyrian communities.
“[This was] the type of violence you would never expect to see in America’s capital. It was the type of violence you’d expect to see in Erdogan’s Turkey and in other dictatorships,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian, who captured parts of the attack and streamed the aftermath live on the ANCA’s Facebook page. “This is the very type of intolerance that has come to predominate in Turkey and it has now been exported here,” he added.
Following the White House meeting, Erdogan met with a group of US businessmen at the Turkish Ambassador’s residence across from Sheridan Circle, where another group of protesters were gathered. The pro-Erdogan group broke through the police line, stormed the circle and began beating the demonstrators gathered at the circle.
At least three people were taken to the hospital after suffering injuries. Police arrested several people in relation with the attacks, the report added.