The Democratic National Committee says President Trump bears responsibility for a violent attack outside the Turkish embassy in Washington, D.C. that saw two people arrested.
According to D.C.’s police chief, 10 people and a police officer were injured after a peaceful protest turned into brawl when Turkish officials sought to scatter the demonstrators. A spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee said President Trump’s support for Turkish President Erdogan is only emboldening his authoritarian behavior.
“It should be no surprise that Erdogan feels free to beat his opponents on the streets of DC, as President Trump has endorsed and emboldened his authoritarian moves,” DNC deputy communication director Adrienne Watson said in a statement Wednesday.
“Peaceful protesting is the hallmark of our democracy. Every American — and every visitor — is free to peacefully demonstrate in our nation’s capital. It is unacceptable that Turkish President Erdogan unleashed his goons and security forces upon peaceful protests, as D.C. police officers tried to stop them. President Trump must cease his pattern of emboldening Erdogan’s iron fisted rule as he travels to Turkey next week. We have seen the consequences of his actions both in Turkey and on our own soil,” she said.
Trump has come under fire for congratulating Erdogan, in what many have viewed as a questionable referendum that vastly expanded his powers. Tuesday’s meeting between Erdogan and Trump furthered calls from lawmakers for the administration to speak out more vocally against human rights abuses in Turkey. A group of 17 Republican and Democratic lawmakers also offered a rebuke to Turkey over the incident.
