Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Krekorian sent a letter Tuesday to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson calling for “unambiguous and meaningful action” against the Turkish government agents who were involved in a violent clash with protesters in Washington, D.C.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Washington, D.C., on May 16, and his security officers got into a violent clash with protesters outside the Turkish ambassador’s residence.
Turkish diplomats have blamed the confrontation on a security lapse by local police, while protesters and police said the security officers were unprovoked, according to The Washington Post, which reported that 11 protesters and one police officer were injured.
“This violent assault targeting peaceful, law-abiding Americans was a grotesque affront to American values by the thuggish agents of an autocratic Turkish regime,” Krekorian said. “Such criminal conduct would be entirely intolerable under any circumstances, but especially in a democratic society such as ours. The fact that it actually involved the Turkish president’s own security personnel clearly demonstrates that the Turkish regime and its diplomatic missions hold American laws and constitutional principles in deep disdain.”
Tillerson has spoken out against Turkey over the incident and told Fox News the government is investigating what happened.
–City News Service