The Turkish Government Wants To Prosecute Lawmakers And There Was A Huge Brawl Over It
Members of the ruling party and the pro-Kurdish opposition have made a habit of throwing punches lately.
A debate in Turkey's parliament over stripping lawmakers of their immunity from prosecution devolved into a massive fight on Monday, with fists flying and people nearly trampled in the scrum.
Welcome to Turkey! Erdogan's rabid AKP thugs attacking HDP MPs in parliament again!! #US #EU #UN #Turkei
It got so heated at one point that a person literally jumped over a table to dive into the fray.
Video - Dokunulmazlık görüşmelerindeki kavganın görüntüleri https://t.co/sN4cgLa41N
Here's the backstory: Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has proposed a plan to allow pro-Kurdish lawmakers with the Peoples' Democracy Party (HDP) to be prosecuted over alleged ties to militant groups.
Umit Bektas / Reuters
Monday's fight was just the latest round of fisticuffs between the HDP and AKP. A session of parliament last Wednesday also ended in punches thrown over military operations against Turkey's Kurds.
Stringer / Reuters
The parliament's constitutional committee — where the brawl broke out — eventually passed the government-backed proposal, sending it to the full body for a vote.
AP Photo / File
"No one should hope to push the government into backing out [of its plans] with this kind of behaviour," government spokesman Numan Kurtulmus warned, AFP reported, adding "whatever happens, the demand to lift the immunity [of lawmakers]... will be presented to Parliament."
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Hayes Brown is a world news editor and reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in New York.
Contact Hayes Brown at hayes.brown@buzzfeed.com.
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