Tensions ran high in Turkey's parliament on Dec. 8, as Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu's insult to an opposition deputy prompted a fist fight in parliament.
A video published on social networks by Turkish media shows a crowd of MPs punching each other right in the middle of the session hall, as emotions clearly run high during the 2022 budget talks. It all started when MPs were discussing the funds allocated to the Interior Ministry.
Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy Erkan Aydın was giving a speech in parliament during talks for the 2022 budget of the Industry and Technology Ministry and the Interior Ministry on Dec. 8 when he asked Soylu why he used a plane belonging to a shady businessman accused of money laundering.
Brawls erupted throughout the day and the deputies engaged in fist fights twice. Both fights were triggered by Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu.
While the first fist fight took place after Soylu called main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy Erkan Aydın a "liar," the second erupted after CHP Group Deputy Chair Özgür Özel criticized the minister for not responding to the questions asked by opposition lawmakers.
In an angry speech, Soylu slammed deputies of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) and the CHP, who protested the minister. He was seen to be infuriated at one point, as he lost his temper and started yelling at lawmakers.
It is not the first such incident, though, since the Turkish parliament has frequently become an arena for brawls between lawmakers. Last month, two MPs engaged in a flight during a parliamentary session over personal insults that saw both opponents calling each other “terrorists.”
In March, a much more intense brawl broke out, which saw some lawmakers even climbing onto their desks to throw punches, after an opposition MP criticized Erdogan. In 2017, the budget talks saw several days of consecutive brawls.
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