US allows violence against reporters outside Brookings Institute, 3/31/16. Thugs of Turkey's Erdogan kicked a reporter, threw one to the sidewalk, called Wilson Center scholar a whore. No arrests made-DCist

Image caption, 3/31/16, "Erdogan's thugs attack reporters outside @BrookingsInst as Erdogan speaks inside." Mahir Zeynalov,
twitter, Huffington Post, Al Arabiya

3/31/16, "Photos: Turkish President's Visit To Brookings Turns Violent," DCist.com, Rachel Sadon

"Security for Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan clashed with protesters, journalists, Brookings staff, and D.C. Police this afternoon, as the violence outside the prominent think tank overshadowed his scheduled speech. 

Erdogan is in town for the Nuclear Security Summit, which is causing more traffic chaos than anything else thus far, and he met with Vice President Joe Biden earlier today. He was also due to give a 12:30 p.m. speech at Brookings on "global challenges and Turkey's goals for the year 2023." 

Supporters showed up with signs and flags to welcome him, while protesters came out with posters calling the Turkish president a war criminal, among other criticisms. 

Although Erdogan's address was being webcast, his security detail tried to bar multiple reporters from the event. 

A Wilson Center scholar and Turkish journalist tweeted that Erdogan's guards called her a "PKK whore." Others filmed Brookings staff working to protect journalists as the Turkish personnel tried to kick them out of the building. 

Foreign Policy reports that at least one reporter was removed from the site, a second was kicked by a guard, and a third thrown to the sidewalk outside the Brookings Institution. Turkish officials also demanded that police remove the protesters, which they declined to do.

"You're part of the problem, you guys need to control yourselves and let these people protest," a D.C. police officer told one of the Turkish guards, FP's Paul Mcleary reports.

No arrests have been made, according to a D.C. Police spokeswoman."



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