A fistfight broke out in the Turkish parliament on Wednesday during a speech by an opposition MP who earlier accused President Erdogan of disrespecting Turkish soldiers who died in Syria.
Dozens of parliamentarians joined the brawl while others tried to stop the fighting.
Engin Ozkoc, from the opposition Republican People’s Party, accused the president of disrespecting soldiers killed last week in Syria’s Idlib province. Ozkoc called Erdogan “dishonourable, ignoble, low and treacherous.”
He also accused the president of sending Turkey’s children to fight while Erdogan’s own kids allegedly avoided long-term military service.
Erdogan earlier accused the opposition of being “dishonourable, ignoble, low and treacherous” for questioning Turkey’s military involvement in Syria’s northwest province.
At least 59 Turkish soldiers have been killed in Idlib since Turkey began its military campaign, where a Russia-backed government offensive has forced nearly one million people to flee towards the shut Turkish border in search of safety.
The offensive came in response to the killing of 34 Turkish soldiers in air raids last week – the biggest casualties suffered by Turkey’s armed forces in decades.
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