Violence breaks out at Turkish president’s speech in New York

Violence broke out at a speech by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday, with police forced to briefly detain several protesters, according to The New York Times.

A scuffle between protesters and attendees erupted in the ballroom of a New York hotel where Erdogan was speaking after a man yelled “You’re a terrorist. Get out of my country!” in English at Erdogan, the Times reported.

Videos showed what the New York Police Department confirmed to be rival protesters punching and slapping each other in the ballroom. 

{mosads}Security forcefully removed at least one person involved in attacking the protesters. Police said that about five protesters were “briefly detained” during the incident, though no arrests were made. No injuries were reported, according to the Times.

A spokeswoman for Marriott International’s New York City hotels told the newspaper that only “a very small number” of the nearly 2,000 estimated attendees were escorted out.

A police official said that the fight appeared to have not been started by Erdogan’s personal security guards, who have previously attacked people protesting the Turkish president.

The protests come just hours after President Trump met with Erdogan on Thursday in New York, where he said that he and the Turkish president “have a great friendship.” 

During Erdogan’s previous visit to the U.S. in May, his personal body guards attacked peaceful protesters outside the Turkish’s ambassador’s residence in Washington, hospitalizing nine people. Fifteen Turkish security officials and four civilians were later indicted on assault charges by a grand jury in August.