WATCH: Fistfight breaks out in Turkish parliament after lawmaker lashes out at Erdogan over Idlib soldier deaths
Turkey’s parliament descended into a chaotic fistfight after an opposition lawmaker accused President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of disrespecting Turkish soldiers killed recently in Idlib, Syria.
During a closed session about the country’s operations in Idlib, opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) member Engin Ozkoc said Erdogan disrespected the dead troops and had also acted irresponsibly by sending them into conflict without air cover.
The accusations quickly escalated into a huge brawl inside the chamber between government and opposition politicians, with punches thrown and lawmakers slapping and kicking each other.
🔴Meclis Genel Kurulu'nda yumruklu kavga🔗Meclis Genel Kurulu'nda AKP'li ve CHP'li milletvekilleri arasında yumruklu kavga yaşandı. 👇CHP Grup Başkanvekili Engin Özkoç'un konuşması sırasında başlayan kavga sonrası oturuma 10 dakika ara verildi. pic.twitter.com/tV3f6cFuz7
— dokuz8HABER (@dokuz8haber) March 4, 2020
Last week, more than 30 Turkish soldiers were killed in Idlib after Ankara sent thousands of troops into the Syrian province in a major escalation of hostilities between it and Damascus.
Also on rt.com Turkey & Syria on brink of WAR in Idlib: How did it come to this?Ozkoc also posted a series of tweets doubling down on his accusations about Erdogan and the country’s Idlib offensive.
Commenting on the affray, Speaker of the Grand National Assembly Mustafa Şentop told reporters that “insults have no place under the roof of the Parliament.” He added that an investigation has been launched by Ankara’s chief prosecutor’s office into the insults leveled at Erdogan.
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