Chaos broke out in front of the White House on Wednesday when a Turkish Embassy employee was seen flashing a fascist salute at a group of protesters demonstrating against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, provoking a near-riot until police intervened, the Armenian Weekly reports.
“Baby killer Erdogan!” the pro-Kurdish demonstrators had been shouting. “Turkey out of NATO!” The man—later identified as Berkay Altinok—was seen arguing with a group of anti-Erdogan protesters carrying Kurdish flags outside the White House. While walking away, Altinok made the politically-charged sign of the Gray Wolf, prompting several protesters to peel away from the pro-Kurdish rally and give chase across Lafayette Park.
Inside the White House, Erdogan was meeting with US President Donald Trump, trying to smooth over heightened tensions between their countries.
“The gray wolf sign is not only associated with the Erdogan-allied far right Nationalist Action Party (MHP), but also with decades of paramilitary vigilantism responsible for pogroms, extrajudicial executions, and hate crimes,” wrote Dr. Aykan Erdemir, a former member of Turkey’s parliament, in an email to the Armenian Weekly. Erdemir said it would be “correct” to describe the salute as “fascist.”
One man was knocked down as police on horses rode in to protect the fleeing counter-protester. Protest marshals and organizers in yellow armbands ran to the front of the crowd, shouting at their fellow protesters to ignore Altinok and avoid clashing with the police lined up along H Street.
A protester also reportedly shoved Tuna Sanli, a reporter for Turkish state television. “I extend my sincere best wishes to TRT News reporter who was attacked by the enemies of Turkey during live stream in Washington,” the station’s Director General Ibrahim Eren wrote on Twitter. “We will continue to transmit the truth without fear, no matter which part of world we are.”
The incident evoked memories of a violent international incident in May 2017, when Erdoğan’s entourage attacked a group of Kurdish, Armenian and American demonstrators outside the Turkish Ambassador’s residence at Sheridan Circle. Eleven people were injured, and the House of Representatives unanimously voted to condemn Turkey over the incident. No one was hospitalized during Wednesday’s incident, during which protest organizers successfully turned back the angry crowd as Altinok slipped behind police lines.
