ANKARA (Sputnik) — Nine people were injured when supporters and critics of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan staged a brawl near the Turkish ambassador’s residence during Erdogan’s visit to the compound.
"The incident that took place in front of the Turkish Ambassador’s Residence during the visit of President Erdogan to Washington D.C., was caused as a result of the refusal of US authorities to take necessary security measures," Foreign Ministry spokesman Huseyin Muftuoglu said in a statement.
Videos from the scene showed men dressed in suits beat people, throwing them to the ground and kicking them in the head. The US House Foreign Affairs Committee passed a non-binding resolution condemning the incident on Thursday after its chairman, Ed Royce, urged to hold Erdogan's bodyguards accountable. It still needs Senate approval.
Muftuoglu said Ankara rejected the resolution as one-sided and distorted, and warned that its further endorsement would not help settle the dispute.