On Friday, a session of the Turkish Parliament convened to discuss the Constitutional Court’s ruling on the imprisonment of MP Can Atalay turned violent when the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) MP Alpay Özalan physically attacked Workers’ Party of Turkey (TİP) MP Ahmet Şık. The confrontation left two MPs injured and underlined the escalating political tensions in the country.
The session, chaired by the AKP’s Bekir Bozdağ, was supposed to address the court’s decision to uphold Atalay’s parliamentary status despite his continued imprisonment. But tensions reached a boiling point when Ahmet Şık delivered a fiery speech accusing the ruling party of lawlessness and branding it “the biggest terrorist organisation” in Turkey.
During Şık’s speech, Özalan, a former footballer turned MP, aggressively approached the podium and shoved him, sparking a brawl. The situation quickly escalated as more AKP members joined in, creating chaos in the parliamentary hall.
In the scuffle, Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) MP Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit suffered a cut above her eyebrow, while CHP MP Okan Konuralp was also injured. The session had to be temporarily suspended as parliamentary staff worked to restore order.
Koçyiğit condemned Özalan’s aggressive behaviour, calling the attack premeditated and demanding disciplinary action. The incident has been widely condemned by opposition leaders, who see it as further evidence of the ruling party’s increasing aggressiveness and intolerance of dissent.
As parliament prepares to reconvene, Friday’s violence highlights the volatile atmosphere in Turkish politics, with the unresolved issue of Can Atalay’s detention and wider concerns about political freedoms hanging in the balance.
