Brawl breaks out in Turkey’s parliament

Lawmakers in the Turkish parliament argued and physically fought this week as they debated budgets and policies to address the country’s economic struggles. 

On Wednesday, a discussion between Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu and an opposition lawmaker intensified into a crowd of members in the chamber pushing one another and fighting, Reuters reported. 

The brawl was prompted when Erkan Aydin of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), an opposition party, asked Soylu why he used a plane belonging to a person accused of money laundering. After showing Soylu a photo that supposedly showed him on the plane, the minister shouted, “You’re lying! You are a liar!” 

The outburst was followed by fighting between members of the CHP and the AK Party (AKP), the ruling party, Reuters added.

A massive brawl broke out in Turkey’s parliament during an intense budget debate, with dozens of legislators from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s party and from the main opposition party pushing and pulling at each other in the chamber https://t.co/ssEAISI802 pic.twitter.com/m7OUrmhpi5

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 9, 2021

Tensions among lawmakers were also high earlier in the week on Monday, as AKP members interrupted CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who criticized the government’s handling of the economy and appeared to use an obscene hand gesture, the news service reported.

The feuds come as the Turkish lira fell by 30 percent last month while inflation increased by over 20 percent, leaving many people in Turkey struggling to purchase essentials like food and medicine.

This is not the first incident of violence involving Turkey’s politicians. 

In 2017, Turkish President Recep Erdoğan visited the U.S. to meet former President Trump. During that visit, guards for Erdogan attacked protesters outside the D.C. embassy in another fight caught on camera.

At the time, Washington’s police chief said the attack was not provoked, but the Turkish Embassy defended the guards’ actions and said they acted in self-defense as they alleged the protesters were connected to a terrorist group.