Turkish security guards clashed with journalists trying to cover president Erdogan’s speech in Washington. Αccording to several news sources, anti-Erdogan protesters were also attacked. Turkish journalists accused Erdogan’s security detail of kicking, shoving and swearing at them as the bodyguards tried to stop them from entering the Brookings Institution. Washington police intervened to defuse chaotic scenes between the reporters, bodyguards and anti-Erdogan protestors.
A Brookings Institution source told the Guardian that they were close to canceling the president’s appearance until the Turkish embassy intervened and persuaded the bodyguards to back down. In fact, at some point, an American security officer had to step in to offer protection to a Turkish journalist who was attending the event. One of Erdogan’s security officers aimed a chest-high kick even at an American reporter attempting to film their actions, according to Agence France-Presse.
The National Press Club in Washington condemned the days’ events. Thomas Burr, its president, said: “Turkey’s leader and his security team are guests in the United States. They have no right to lay their hands on reporters or protesters or anyone else for that matter, when the people they were apparently roughing up seemed to be merely doing their jobs or exercising the rights they have in this country. We have increasingly seen disrespect for basic human rights and press freedom in Turkey. Erdogan doesn’t get to export such abuse”.
Outside Brookings, a small group of protesters held banners of the YPG -a Kurdish militia based in Syria and supported by the US in the fight against Islamic State, to which they have actually been very successful. Turkey regards the YPG as an affiliate of the PKK, Turkey’s main Kurdish separatist movement, and has declared it a terrorist threat as well.
When president Erdogan received questions from the panel he addressed this issue as well. “We cannot tolerate this anymore. European countries and other countries, I hope they can see the true face of terrorists in these attacks”. He asked for the whole world to be united against terrorism, stating that Kurds are just as dangerous as the jihadists from the terrorist group ISIS.
Meanwhile, U.S. president Barack Obama reaffirmed his country’s commitment to Turkey’s security during an unofficial meeting with president Tayyip Erdogan, the White House said.
“The president extended condolences to President Erdogan on behalf of the American people for those killed and injured in today’s terrorist attack in Diyarbakir, and reaffirmed the support of the United States for Turkey’s security and our mutual struggle against terrorists” the White House said in a statement yesterday. It also mentioned the terrorist group Islamic State: “The leaders also discussed how to advance our shared effort to degrade and destroy ISIL”.
In a statement on Friday, Turkey's presidential office said the two NATO leaders discussed cooperation on resolving the refugee crisis and how partners in the fight against Islamic State can ramp up their efforts.