Former football player Alpay Özalan attacked Ahmet Sik of the TIP party. The session was interrupted for more than three hours due to a mass fight.
A fistfight broke out in the Turkish parliament on Friday, involving, among others, a former national team soccer player and a representative of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) Alpay Özalan.
Özalan, who represented Aston Villa and FC Köln in his playing career, attacked the Turkish Workers’ Party (TIP) Ahmet Sikin attack me in the middle of this speech.
In his speech, Sik suggested his imprisoned party comrade of Can Atalay return to parliament. Atalay was sentenced to 18 years in prison in 2022 for organizing anti-government protests.
Despite his imprisonment, Atalay was elected to parliament in May last year. Turkey’s Grand National Assembly expelled Atalay from parliament, but on August 1 the Constitutional Court annul the decision.
The situation quickly flared up
The video published by Reuters shows how the president wields power Recep Tayyip Erdogan The MPs of the AKP party rushed to the rostrum.
Blood splattered on the steps of the speaker’s podium and According to Turkey’s BBC several people were injured in the skirmish and one person was taken to the hospital.
Before the start of the nujaka, Sik appealed to the AKP party in his speech and demanded Atalay’s release from prison.
– If all of you together did as much good for this country as Atalay, you would pray for the feeling of gratitude for the rest of your life.
– We are not surprised that you call Can Atalaya a terrorist. But the biggest terrorists are those who sit in these places.
“The government tried to silence the opposition”
After a fistfight, the vice-president declared a break in the session hall and after more than three hours the session reconvened. After the break, the parliament reprimanded TIP’s Siki for his statements against the AKP, but also AKP’s Alpay Özalan for his violent behavior.
Leader of Turkey’s largest opposition party CHP Özgur Özel described the situation as shameful.
– I am extremely ashamed to experience such a situation in our parliament, Özel said.
DEM party The Kocyigs of Gulistan said the ruling AKP party was trying to silence the opposition with violence.
– It was clear that they came prepared for the situation. They are trying to silence our speech and voice with pressure, violence and force, Kocyigit said.