PRO ERDOGAN SUPPORTERS ATTACK PEACEFUL PROTESTORS IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
(A.W.)—A group of peaceful demonstrators protesting Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s official visit to the United States, were
attacked by pro-Erdogan groups at the Sheridan Circle near the residence
of the Turkish Ambassador to the U.S.
“[This was] the type of
violence you would never expect to see in America’s capital. It was the
type of violence you’d expect to see in Erdogan’s Turkey and in other
dictatorships,” said Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
Executive Director Aram Hamparian, who captured parts of the attack and
streamed the aftermath live on the ANCA’s Facebook page. “This is the
very type of intolerance that has come to predominate in Turkey and it
has now been exported here,” he added.
The demonstration, which
began at Lafayette Square at noon, was organized by a coalition of
organizations, including the Armenian National Committee of America
(ANCA) and the American Hellenic Council. Several different groups
participated in the protest including representatives from the Armenian,
Greek, Kurdish, and Assyrian communities.
“I saw a group of
peaceful protesters in Sheridan Circle—a grassy area across from the
Turkish Ambassador’s residence—who were protesting and exercising their
constitutional right to speak their minds, to hold signs, to share their
opinions, and express their views get rushed from across the street by a
group of a pro-Erdogan [demonstrators], who broke through the police
lines and attacked literally anybody within their reach with their fists
and anything else they could get a hold of,” Hamparian said in the live
video moments after the attack. Hamparian went on the explain that the
crowd of Erdogan supporters beat as many people as they could and that
many were bloodied and had to be taken to the hospital.
“This is
exactly the type of violence you see in Ankara and they are exporting it
here. It’s one thing for the Turkish government to do that to its own
citizens—[which is] a terrible thing. It is another thing for us, as
Americans, to see that exported to the United States,” Hamparian said.
The Armenian Weekly will be following this story and provide updates as they become available.