A fistfight erupted in Turkey’s parliament after opposition deputy Ahmet Sik was attacked after advocating for his jailed colleague Can Atalay to be admitted to the assembly, Reuters reports.
Atalay, sentenced to 18 years in 2022 for allegedly organizing anti-government protests in 2013, was elected to parliament in May 2023 but was later stripped of his seat. The Constitutional Court recently nullified his exclusion.
During his speech, Sik criticized the ruling AKP lawmakers, calling them “the biggest terrorists.” This provoked AKP MPs to rush and punch Sik at the lectern, leading to a chaotic melee with blood on the speaker’s podium steps. The deputy parliament speaker declared a 45-minute recess following the fight. The Workers’ Party of Turkey (TIP) also demanded Atalay’s release.
Although not common, brawls in the Turkish parliament are not unprecedented, such as a scuffle in June between AKP lawmakers and pro-Kurdish DEM Party MPs over the detention of a DEM Party mayor.
