HDP MPs were attacked during a session at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey after the speech of HDP Gaziantep MP Mahmut Toğrul on Afrin.

"Saying 'We will give Afrin to its rightful owners' and aiming to settle refugees [in Turkey] there, clearly displays a plan of demographic change in a Kurdish-populated region; and this is called ethnic cleansing," Toğrul had said in his speech in the parliament.

"You cannot resettle people from Aleppo, Idlib, and Raqqa in the homes and lands of the people of Afrin," he had continued.

After he finished his speech, a group of AKP MPs moved towards the HDP seats. In the brawl that ensued, Toğrul's left arm was broken, and our other MPs Müslüm Doğan, Garo Paylan and Behçet Yıldırım were also hurt.

Toğrul and HDP MPs held a press conference in parliament, and described the incident:

About 40 of them started coming towards us in a frenzy. They began punching me and my friends. I fell to the ground, and they continued to kick me. I was seriously beaten. I went to the hospital and received a medical report stating that I cannot work for 45 days.

Toğrul continued as follows:

“We don't have to say what the government says about Afrin. We are against war. I have clearly said that soldiers from poor families have also been killed there. Yesterday, in my speech, I said: 'Because of those who want to hold onto power, young people from both sides lose their lives'.

The lives of civilians on both sides are under threat,' is what we say. In fact, we are not the only ones expressing this view. I had also mentioned the report of Amnesty International. But yesterday, because of my speech, we faced a lynching attempt.

Our commission on law will file criminal complaints against the perpetrators of the attack.”