Photo: AFP/Getty Images
This is the moment a secret service agent was caught on film scolding a member of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan's security detail after he clashed with protesters and journalists in Washington D.C.
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'In America, we have freedom of expression!'
As Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave speech on Thursday, in DC
Journalists critical of Erdogan said they were kicked and barred from entering the Institute by his security guards
Secret service agent was caught on film scolding two of the security detail
Scroll down for story ... Kurdish demonstrators clashed with anti-Erdogan demonstrators in the street
Erdogan's regime has been criticized for harsh crackdowns on the press
This
is the incredible moment a secret service agent was filmed scolding one
of the Turkish president's bodyguards after clashes with protesters and
reporters in Washington D.C. on Thursday.
Turkey's
leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan was in the capital for this week's nuclear
summit with other world leaders when scuffles broke out outside
the Brookings Institution.
Bystanders
captured video of the president's security detail tearing anti-Erdogan
banners from protesters' hands, while journalists claimed they were also
pushed and kicked.
Seeming
to echo the concerns of many onlookers, one secret service agent was
filmed telling the Turkish security detail: 'This is America!'
Erdogan's security detail (pictured)
were accused of ripping banners from the hands of protesters and kicking
journalists ahead of a speech by the Turkish premiere at Brookings
Institute on Thursday
Photo: AFP/Getty Images
Erdogan has been sharply criticized in
recent years for a crackdown on the press and opponents of his regime
in his home country, with journalists arrested and threatened
In footage filmed by Cenk Sidar,
a Turkish columnist, the agent is heard saying: 'Stay on this side [of
the road.] Do you understand? You tell him to calm down, this is
America.
'Act
like an adult, stay on this side of the road. End of story. By going
over there and flipping the bird you're causing more problems for me,
and for your protection.'
Erdogan's regime has been accused of a heavy crackdown on the press and freedom on speech in recent years.
Journalists
critical of Erdogan have protested over arrests, foreign reporters say
they have been harassed for their coverage, and one of the country's
largest opposition publications was recently handed over to the state in
a court decision in which no explanation was given.
On
Thursday, as Erdogan arrived at the Brookings Institute to give a
speech, protesters waving banners branding him a 'fascist' and a
'murderer' gathered outside.
Dozens of anti-Erdogan protesters,
largely from the Kurdish ethnic group who have been helping fight ISIS
in northern Syria, gathered outside Brookings on Thursday (pictured)
Clashes broke out between the Kurdish
protesters and a smaller but vocal group of pro-Erdogan demonstrators
thanking him for taking in Syrian refugees fleeing the conflict there
Many
appeared to be representing the Kurds, an ethnic group from southern
Turkey and northern Syria who have been attempting to establish their
own state along Turkey's border after fighting off ISIS, while also
carrying out suicide attacks inside Turkey itself.
They were joined by a smaller, but very vocal, group of pro-Erdogan supporters which prompted clashes between the two groups.
Things
turned ugly with the arrival of Erdogan's security detail, as Turkish
journalist Emre Uslu claims he was kicked in the leg by one of the
guards.
The
same journalist then said he was barred from getting inside to cover
the event, while officials also tried to remove journalist Adem Yavuz
Arslan from inside the building, before being forced to leave
themselves.
Another
journalist, Amberin Zaman, a former Turkey correspondent for The
Economist, said the Turkish security detail called her a 'PKK whore' as
she was standing outside the event.
Following clashes outside Brookings,
journalists attending the event claimed Erdogan's security (pictured)
tried to evict them from inside the event before the guards themselves
were ejected
The
PKK, or Kurdistan Worker's Party, is a Kurdish militant group that
Turkey and the United States classifies as a terrorist organization.
Brookings said in a statement that its staff had sought to ensure that journalists on its guest list were allowed in.
In
his speech, Erdogan addressed a wide array of foreign policy issues. He
expressed optimism about improving relations with Israel and holding
talks to reunify Cyprus.
He
also criticized Western support of Kurdish rebels in Syria whom Turkey
considers part of a terrorist group, and called for more Western funding
to help Syrian refugees.
Erdogan has faced a cool reception from the Obama administration, but he said U.S.-Turkish relations are good.
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