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    Categories: 2017

ANKARA: What really happened outside Turkey’s US Embassy?

Anadolu Agency (AA)
 Saturday


What really happened outside Turkey's US Embassy?


By Safvan Allahverdi

WASHINGTON

Supporters in the United States of the terrorist organization PKK -- a
group which has killed over 1,200 people in Turkey since July 2015 --
triggered the melee and fight outside Turkey's Washington Embassy
building during President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to the country
on May 16.

I was covering Erdogan's visit, so I was able to witness and observe
what happened outside the embassy building.

During Erdogan's meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at around
12.30 p.m. local time (1630GMT), PKK supporters, as well as some
protesters carrying Armenian flags, started shouting slogans against
Turkey and Erdogan at Lafayette Square park, just north of the White
House.

A group of Turkish citizens, who were also there to support Erdogan
and Turkey, started to respond to the group's verbal harassment.

As the altercation started, Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police and
U.S. Secret Service Agents were also around. Turkish citizens were
moved from the area by the police, but the PKK sympathizers stayed
where they were. The Turkish citizens objected to this.

After hearing the objections, police sent PKK supporters off to a far
corner of the park across from the embassy. They also cordoned off the
area with police tape. The police did the same to the Turkish
citizens, sending them off to an area where there was a direct line of
sight to the White House.

Both groups shouted slogans and afterwards dispersed without incident.

Melee outside the Turkish embassy

It was known that President Erdogan would arrive at the Turkish
Embassy at around 4 p.m. local time. PKK sympathizers gathered at the
park next to the building half an hour earlier.

The supporters of the terrorist group, around 20 people, were carrying
posters of Abdullah Ocalan, the PKK's jailed head, as well as jailed
Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) head Selahattin Demirtas, and flags of
the YPG, the armed Syrian offshoot of the PKK/PYD.

While shouting anti-Erdogan slogans, the group started to swear and
insult Turks, who were just across the road. Turkish citizens
responded with their own slogans.

As minutes went by, the group escalated the intensity of their
swearing and insults against Erdogan and the Turkey supporters.

The protesting group had a permit to gather in front of the White
House, but when they gathered outside the Turkish Embassy, they gave
the police no notice.

We knew that no permit was needed to gather outside the embassy. But
the practice in the U.S. was to inform the police department so that
they could take necessary safety measures. We were worried about their
gathering with no notice, if they were planning to make a scene.

The PKK supporters made a great effort to make Turkish citizens lose
control through their insults and swearing. We saw that the Turkish
group was provoked by PKK sympathizers moving into the middle of the
road with megaphones.

The first fight broke out when supporters of the terrorist group threw
water bottles at Turkish citizens, triggering a 10-15 second fistfight
in the middle of the road.

Only two police officers interceded in the fight, and it was clear the
police were not ready for such a scene. Besides, there were only
around 10 police officers outside the embassy.

Police unresponsive to citizens' injuries

Also stepping into the fight, a Turkish citizen named Alp Kenan Dereci
was severely injured when a PKK supporter hit him in the head with a
megaphone.

His face was covered in blood. An ambulance came over and Dereci was
taken to a hospital.

People who saw Dereci had been hit with a megaphone repeatedly told
the police chief at the scene what happened and who hit him.

They told the police chief that it was not just a punch, but an
attempted injury. The people also said that the attacker should be
arrested or the situation could escalate.

But the police chief said he would not do such a thing, which
triggered a bigger altercation because the attacker, who was not
arrested, continued with his swearing and insults.

As we later learned, the attacker was named Kasim Kurd, and he was
being sought by both federal agents and the D.C. metropolitan police.

Police did not heed the warnings and complaints of Turkish citizens,
but instead forced the Turkish supporters back onto the sidewalk.

PKK supporters meters from Erdogan

The police barricaded Turkish citizens after the first altercation,
but not the PKK supporters.

With no obstacles to block them, the terrorist group backers got very
close to the Turkey supporters and shouted slogans and threw water
bottles.

The PKK supporters, who kept a greater distance during Erdogan's White
House visit, outside the embassy were able to get within 15-20 meters
of him.

Due to the fanaticism of the terrorist group, we were also worried
about our own safety.

When Erdogan arrived at the embassy building, protesters continued
their grave insults, so some Turkish citizens and the head of the
president's security detail stepped in.

After security interceded, the group dispersed.

Meanwhile, the U.S. media, instead of covering the moments that
triggered the situation as a whole, chose to show only the last
moments, and so created the impression that Turkey supporters caused
the altercation and the terror group supporters were the victims.

Samvel Nahapetian:
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