Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, on May 16, a group of peaceful protesters gathered at a public park outside the Turkish Ambassador's residence in northwest Washington, D.C. They came from a variety of backgrounds-- Armenian, Kurdish, Yazidi, and more--but they shared a common concern about developments in Turkey, including the crackdown on political opposition and free speech in that country and Turkey's continued denial of the Armenian genocide. About a mile away, Turkey's President, Tayyip Erdogan was received warmly by President Trump at the White House, with no mention of Turkey's human rights abuses and growing authoritarianism. The protesters felt, and rightly so, that they had to exercise their First Amendment rights and raise their voices in dissent, the very dissent which has been violently squelched by Erdogan in his own country. What happened next was a chaotic and violent confrontation that left 11 people injured, 2 of whom required hospitalization. Tensions were already high, with pro-Turkish counter-protesters outside the residence scuffling with protesters. When Erdogan and his entourage arrived, the situation quickly spiraled out of control. As he exited his car, observing the protests, Erdogan can be seen on video speaking briefly to his security detail, and soon thereafter, several of these men, some of them armed with handguns, rushed past D.C. police officers to violently confront protesters, causing several injuries.…”