Scuffles broke out in the Turkish Parliament last night during debate on the Internal Security Package. 6 deputies from the HDP and CHP were injured.

During a closed session in the Turkish Grand National Assembly  yesterday, HDP deputies Ertuğrul Kürkçü and Sebahat Tuncel and CHP deputies Musa Çam, Aykut Erdoğdu, Refik Eryılmaz and Mahmut Tanal were injured in scuffles when tempers flared during discussion of the Internal Security Bill.

Kürkçü: They attacked us with the speaker’s gavel and with chairs

HDP Mersin deputy Ertuğrul Kürkçü said that he sustained a blow to the head as he went to the aid of colleague Sebahat Tuncel. “They attacked us with hammers and bells and threw chairs at us,” he added.

Kürkçü said:

“AKP deputies were trying to hurry things along. We requested that everything be carried out according to correct procedure. But the acting speaker AKP deputy Ayşe Nur Bahçekapılı gave the floor to AKP deputy Elitaş instead of HDP group chair İdris Baluken. Pervin Buldan and Sebahat Tuncel marched on the speaker in reaction to this and at that moment the AKP deputies attacked en masse. When I tried to prevent Sebahat being punched I received a blow to the head. The AKP deputies attacked us with anything they could lay their hands on. The speaker’s gavel, the parliamentary bell and metal chairs. I’ve seen scuffles in parliament before, but nothing like this. The AKP deputies demonstrated how the police will behave if this internal security bill becomes law. But this has made us even more determined to stop this bill becoming law.”

Tuncel: AKP deputy Elitaş started it

HDP deputy Sabahat Tuncel said:

“First they came towards Pervin (Buldan) and me. Male violence is everywhere, even though so much has been said about Özgecan. With men, nothing changes. The real problem is that the AKP are adamant about enacting this law of violence despite the massive opposition to it. They are even resorting to violence to get it through. Violence against women deputies is unacceptable. AKP group chair Mustafa Elitaş started the trouble. Some of our colleagues tried to protect us.”

Onur: They tried to intervene with HDP women deputies

CHP Istanbul MP Melda Onur said that AKP women deputies had tried to stop HDP women deputies confronting the speaker, adding that  scuffles then broke out. She said the sight of glasses flying through the air and of deputies chasing each other with gavels was unbelievable.  

Melda Onur added that nurses had entered the parliament building to attend to CHP deputy Musa Çam and that Sebahat Tuncel had suffered an injury to her hand.