The visit of Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan to President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, DC was greeted yesterday, Tuesday with a bloody protest outside the Turkish Embassy in Washington.
Report by the New York Times says that eleven people were injured, including one police officer; nine of the victims were hospitalized.
The brawl was said to have broken out between protesters and supporters of President Erdogan, including some of his bodyguards.
The Metropolitan Police Department had initially suggested that the fighting broke out between opposing groups of demonstrators. Department spokesperson Dustin Sternbeck said two people were arrested, including one who was charged with assaulting a police officer.
Video of the incident shows a man with a bullhorn being kicked in the head repeatedly by several men in dark suits and others kicking a woman lying on the ground, with police using batons to drive off the attackers.
State Department spokesperson, Heather Nauert said in a statement that the United States was “concerned by the violent incident” between the protesters and members of Turkish security.
The U.S. is responding, according to the statement, by “communicating our concern to the Turkish government in the strongest possible terms.” [myad]
