A Greater-Washington ANC activist during Thursday’s protest
Turkish President’s Security Team and Supporters Attack Journalists; Create Chaos During 3-Hour Demonstration
WASHINGTON – A diverse group of Armenians, Kurds, Greeks, Cypriots, Yezidis, human rights groups and even various opposition Turkish political factions protested Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan’s repression at home and aggression abroad in a heated demonstration which forced the closure of one of Washington, DC’s busiest streets for over an hour, reported the Armenian National Committee of Greater Washington.
Holding banners calling out Turkey’s ongoing Armenian genocide denial, crackdown on the country’s Kurdish community, and support for ISIS forces in Syria – protesters spotlighted Turkey’s democratic decline under President Erdogan’s rule, a view gaining increased support in Washington’s political circles in the days leading up to his U.S. visit. Among the protesters’ chants was: “Long live Kurdistan; long live Armenia.â€
