A fistfight broke out in Turkey’s parliament on Friday when an opposition deputy was attacked after calling for his colleague, jailed on charges of organizing anti-government protests but since elected an MP, to be admitted to the assembly.
Despite his imprisonment, Atalay was elected to parliament in May last year to represent the TIP.
Parliament stripped him of his seat, but on Aug. 1 the Constitutional Court declared his exclusion null and void.
The deputy parliament speaker declared a 45-minute recess after the fistfight.
The TIP also called for Atalay’s release from prison.
On Friday, there was a fistfight in Turkey’s parliament after an opposition deputy called for his colleague, who had been arrested for planning anti-government protests but had since been elected as a member of parliament, to be allowed back into the assembly.
Hundreds of people joined the brawl, some of them attempting to stop others, as Ahmet Sik, a member of the Workers’ Party of Turkey (TIP), was punched by AKP MPs as they stormed the podium. The speaker’s podium was covered in blood splattered on its white steps.
After being charged with trying to topple the government by allegedly planning the national Gezi Park protests in 2013 alongside the now-incarcerated philanthropist Osman Kavala and six other people, Can Atalay was sentenced to eighteen years in prison in 2022. All refute the accusations.
Atalay was elected to parliament in May of last year, representing the TIP, despite his imprisonment. He lost his seat in Parliament, but on August. His exclusion was ruled void by the Constitutional Court.
Sik addressed AKP lawmakers, saying, “We’re not surprised that you call Can Atalay a terrorist, just as you do everyone who does not side with you.”.
The people occupying these seats, he continued, “are the real terrorists.”.
Following the fistfight, the deputy speaker of the parliament called for a 45-minute break.
Additionally, the TIP demanded Atalay’s release from custody.
