Republican Senator John McCain told MSNBC that the Turkish Ambassador to the US should be kicked out of the country following the attack by the personal bodyguards of visiting Turkish President Recep Erdogan in Washington against Kurdish protesters in front of the Embassy. Mr. McCain tweeted: “This is the United States of America. We do not do this here. There is no excuse for this kind of thuggish behavior”. During his interview on MSNBC the Senator said that the incident warranted a response by the US diplomacy, saying “We should the Ambassador to the United States the hell out of here”. He added that legal action could be taken to identify the attackers and punish them. According to Turkish newspaper Hurriyet, Turkish Ambassador to the US Serdar Kilic was summoned by the US State Department to explain the attacks. Two people were arrested and 11 were injured in protests outside the Turkish ambassador’s residence amid President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit.

 Video footage of the clash on Tuesday showed men in suits charging past police to kick and punch protesters.

 Police called the violence a “brutal attack on peaceful protesters”.

 But the Turkish Embassy said the demonstrators were aggressively provoking Turkish-Americans who had gathered to greet the president, and they in turn responded in self-defence. </s> WASHINGTON — Turkish Ambassador to the US Serdar Kılıç was summoned to the State Department on Wednesday following the violent beating of protesters that took place outside of the Turkish embassy in Washington earlier this week, a senior State Department official told CNN.

“The conduct of Turkish security personnel earlier this week is deeply disturbing,” the official said. “The State Department has raised its concerns about these events at the highest levels and a thorough investigation that will allow us to hold the responsible individuals accountable is of the utmost importance to us.”

The official also confirmed that two members of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s security detail “were briefly detained during the altercations and subsequently released” and returned to Turkey with Erdogan.

“Customary international law affords heads of state and members of their entourage with inviolability from arrest and detention,” the official said. “The United States recognizes this inviolability, which provides reciprocal protection for the United States abroad.”

Several lawmakers have joined a growing chorus of voices demanding action in the wake of the bloody brawl that sent nine to the hospital on Tuesday — just hours after Erdogan met with President Donald Trump at the White House.

Arizona Sen. John McCain, the Republican chairman of the armed services committee, called for the Turkish ambassador to the US to be thrown out of the country on Thursday.

“We should throw the Turkish ambassador out of the country, we should identify those people that performed these unlawful acts of beating people up and they should be charged,” McCain told reporters.

McCain and his Democratic colleague Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California also wrote a letter to Erdogan condemning the violence.

The State Department told CNN on Thursday that it is “working closely with the local authorities concerning this incident,” but declined further comment as the investigation is ongoing.

The Turkish embassy claimed the groups that assembled were “affiliated with the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party)” without permission and “began aggressively provoking Turkish-American citizens who had peacefully assembled to greet the President,” according to a statement released late Wednesday.

“The Turkish-Americans responded in self-defense,” the statement from the Turkish embassy said. “We hope that, in the future, appropriate measures will be taken to ensure that similar provocative actions causing harm and violence do not occur.” </s> Turkish Ambassador Serdar Kiliç was called in to the State Department to meet with U.S. Under Secretary of State Thomas Shannon hours after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s guards violently entered a crowd of protesters, U.S. officials said Thursday.

“We can confirm that Ambassador Kilic was summoned to the State Department and met with Under Secretary Shannon on Wednesday,” a State Department official told NBC News.

And new video revealed Thursday shows Erdogan — who hours earlier had met with President Donald Trump — watching the fracas from his car outside the Turkish embassy. Before it begins, a guard bends to speak to the Turkish president. That guard talks to another man who then begins the fight.

Initial video only showed the bodyguards charging the protesters and the bloody aftermath.

The State Department confirmed that two members of the Turkish security team were briefly detained after the brawl, and then released. International law protects heads of state and members of their entourage from arrest.

Nine were hurt and two Kurdish protesters were arrested, police said on Wednesday.

The Turkish government placed the blame at the feet of the protesters, claiming that they were affiliated with “terrorist” groups.

“The violence and injuries were the result of this unpermitted, provocative demonstration,” read a statement from the Turkish embassy on Wednesday. “We hope that, in the future, appropriate measures will be taken to ensure that similar provocative actions causing harm and violence do not occur.”

They did not provide any evidence to support their assertion of the protester’s ties.

U.S. government officials have been roundly critical of the guard’s actions. The initial response from the State Department condemned the violence.

“Violence is never an appropriate response to free speech, and we support the rights of people everywhere to free expression and peaceful protest,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Wednesday

Senators Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and John McCain, R-Arizona, sent a sharply worded letter to Erdogan on Thursday that demanded he punish his bodyguards and noted that it reflected his government’s oppressive tactics.

Violent clashes broke out between protesters and supporters of Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan outside the Turkish ambassador’s residence in Washington. VOA

“The violent response of your security detail to peaceful protesters is wholly unacceptable and, unfortunately, reflective of your government’s treatment of the press, ethnic minority groups and political opponents,” the letter said.

Earlier in the day, McCain was slightly less diplomatic in an appearance on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, saying, “We should throw their ambassador the hell out of the United States of America.”

This is not the first time that Erdogan’s entourage has been embroiled in a physical fight with protesters on U.S. soil. His security detail scuffled with demonstrators as well as members of the press outside the Brookings Institution in Washington D.C. in March 2016.

“The actions of your staff violate the constitutional protections of freedom of the press and freedom of assembly enjoyed by all Americans,” Feinstein and McCain wrote in Thursday’s letter. “Your staff’s blatant violation of these rights on American soil is an affront to those freedoms and reflects poorly on your government.” </s> Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Protesters injured outside Turkish embassy in Washington

The US has summoned the Turkish ambassador after violence erupted between protesters and Turkish security personnel in Washington on Tuesday.

Ambassador Serdar Kılıç met Under Secretary of State Tom Shannon on Wednesday, officials tell the BBC.

Eleven people were injured outside the Turkish ambassador's residence during President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit.

Video footage of the clash on Tuesday showed men in suits charging past police to kick and punch protesters.

Washington police called the violence a "brutal attack on peaceful protesters".

But the Turkish embassy said the demonstrators had aggressively provoked Turkish-Americans gathering to greet the president, and they in turn had responded in self-defence.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu accused senior US diplomat Brett McGurk of backing Kurdish militants and said he should be sent home.

He said on Thursday that Mr McGurk, the US envoy to the coalition against so-called Islamic State (IS), was "definitely" supporting a Kurdish militant group, the Popular Protection Units (YPG), in Syria, as well as a Kurdish separatist group in Turkey, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Turkey sees the YPG as a terrorist group linked to the PKK, which has been fighting inside Turkey since the 1980s. Last week Mr Trump said he would arm the Syrian Kurds in the fight against IS.

Tensions have been high since the violent scuffle outside the Turkish ambassador's residence.

The incident drew an outcry among US lawmakers.

Senator John McCain on Thursday called for the envoy to be expelled.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Trump and Erdogan met at the White House earlier that day

"We should throw their ambassador the hell out of the United States of America..." he told MSNBC's Morning Joe programme on Thursday.

"This kind of thing cannot go un-responded to diplomatically."

Democratic senator Claire McCaskill said she agreed with her Republican colleague, tweeting: "Unacceptable. They were assaulting these people on US soil. Turkish Ambassador should be kicked out of country."

Earlier this week the State Department released a statement saying it was "concerned by the violent incidents" and confirmed Turkish security guards were involved.

Mr Erdogan, who met President Donald Trump earlier in the day, was visiting the Turkish ambassador's residence when the scuffle broke out.

Washington's Metropolitan Police Department said it had arrested two US residents, Ayten Necmi, 49, and Jalal Kheirabadi, 42, over the incident.

It was unclear if they were members of Mr Erdogan's security or protesters.

Police Chief Peter Newsham said on Wednesday the violence was "not something we tolerate in our city".

Several of Mr Erdogan's security personnel, he added, were armed with guns, which made the incident especially "dicey" for local police officers trying to keep protests peaceful.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce also sent a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urging them to take action over the clashes.

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said it was "an affront to DC values and our rights as Americans". </s> "We should throw their ambassador the hell out of the United States of America," McCain, who heads the Senate Armed Services Committee, told MSNBC.

"This kind of thing can not go unresponded to diplomatically," he said, adding that legal action could be pursued.

"This isn't Turkey, this isn't a third world country."

US officials expressed outrage after what they described as a "brutal attack" Tuesday by Erdogan bodyguards on a small group of pro-Kurdish protesters who gathered on the US capital's "Embassy Row" after Erdogan met with President Donald Trump at the White House.

Close-up footage shared on social media showed Turkish officials dressed in suits beating and punching people in the crowd and, in at least one case, kicking out at a woman splayed on the ground.

Washington Police Chief Peter Newsham said 11 people and one police officer were injured. Two people were arrested.

The Turkish Embassy on Thursday released a statement on the violence. It made no mention of Turkish security personnel, and blamed the unrest on demonstrators supporting the PKK, a group "which the US and Turkey have designated as a terrorist organisation."

"The demonstrators began aggressively provoking Turkish-American citizens who had peacefully assembled to greet the president," the embassy said. "The Turkish-Americans responded in self-defense and one of them was seriously injured."

McCain laid blame directly at the feet of Turkish officials.

"This is Erdogan's security detail. Somebody told them to go out there and beat up on these peaceful demonstrators," he said.

"I think it should have repercussions, including identifying these people and bringing charges against them. After all they violated American laws."

Republican senators Tom Cotton, Ted Cruz, Mike Lee and Marco Rubio issued a statement denouncing the violence and demanding an immediate apology from the Turkish government. </s> Group of GOP Senator Joins Chorus of Condemnation over Brutal Attack of Protesters

WASHINGTON—Senator John McCain, one of the leading foreign policy voices in Congress, on Thursday urged the expulsion of Turkey’s U.S. ambassador after pro-Turkish groups brutally attacked protesters during Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s recent visit to DC. It was later revealed that members of Erdogan’s security team were involved in the bloody violence.

“We should throw their ambassador the hell out of the United States of America … This kind of thing cannot go unresponded to diplomatically,” McCain, the head of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told MSNBC in an interview on Thursday, adding that legal action could also be pursued.

McCain had earlier tweeted about the incident calling the attack “thuggish behavior. “This is the United States of America. We do not do this here. There is no excuse for this kind of thuggish behavior,” McCain added in his Twitter post.

The U.S. State Department summoned the Turkish Ambassador in Washington Serdar Kılıç on May 17 after the attack outside the Turkish diplomatic mission, according to various sources, relaying their “strongest possible” concern over the event.

Meanwhile, a group of Republican senators on Wednesday joined the chorus of condemnation of the brutal attack on demonstrators in Washington by Erdogan’s security team.

“We strongly condemn the violence that took place yesterday outside the Turkish Embassy in Washington,” the Republican senators Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Tom Cotton and Mike Lee said in a statement.

“Reports indicate that some Turkish officials were involved in assaulting protesters, which violates the most basic rules of democracy and is an affront to the United States and the value we place on the right to free speech, as embodied in our Constitution. We call upon the Turkish government to apologize immediately for the involvement of any officials,” the statement continued.

“The Turkish government owes an apology; perhaps they forgot we have unalienable rights in this country,” Cardin tweeted.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce on Wednesday sent a letter to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Attorney General Jeff Sessions urging them to examine charges against those responsible.

“Numerous news reports indicate these individuals were members of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s security detail who accompanied him on his official state visit this week. Alarmingly, this behavior is indicative of the broad crackdowns on political activists, journalists and religious freedom in Turkey that have greatly harmed Turkish democracy in recent years,” said Royce in his letter.

Rep. Adam Schiff, the ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee also voiced his strong condemnation of the attack, saying that while assaults on freedom of speech, the press, and free assembly have become tragically commonplace in Erdogan’s Turkey, such acts do not have a place in the United States.

“On Tuesday, President Trump hosted Turkish President Erdogan at the White House. Casting aside concerns about human rights abuses and the suppression of free speech in Turkey, President Trump lavished praise on this increasingly autocratic leader. President Trump’s embrace of Erdogan is another in the line of similarly warm embrace of autocrats around the globe,” Schiff wrote on Facebook.

“Just hours after the meeting at the White House, Erdogan’s security detail violently assaulted Kurdish, Armenian, Ezidi and other peaceful protesters outside the Turkish Ambassador’s residence. While we’re still learning details about what occurred, disturbing videos show members of Erdogan’s security team turning on the protesters. The Administration has thus far been conspicuously silent on this incident, but it cannot go unanswered. There must be consequences for the individuals who attacked protesters exercising their First Amendment rights, and they should be identified and questioned before they leave the country,” added Schiff.

“Assaults on freedom of speech, the press, and free assembly have become tragically commonplace in Erdogan’s Turkey. We must ensure that never becomes the case here at home,” said Schiff.

On Thursday, Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., Co-Chair of the Congressional Armenian Issues Caucus, sent a letter to President Trump asking his administration to condemn the attacks by Turkish security forces on protesters at the Turkish embassy.

“What is now needed is a clear signal from you that this type of behavior will not be tolerated, especially in light of your Administration’s support of the Erdogan regime. In the wake of a referendum last month that consolidated President Erdogan’s power – a result which was questioned by election observers in Turkey – and included intimidation and violence toward Erdogan opponents leading up to the vote, you personally called to congratulate President Erdogan. You have also been supportive of his efforts to suppress the Kurds in Turkey. You met personally with Mr. Erdogan on the same morning this abuse occurred, and according to media accounts, no mention was made of Erdogan’s human rights abuses,” Pallone told Trump in his letter.

“Neither you nor your White House staff has made any comment about the attack. It needs to be made explicitly clear, from the highest level of our government, that bullying and brutality towards peaceful protesters will not be tolerated in this country – even from visiting heads of state. It also needs to be assured that your White House staff will comply fully with efforts to identify Turkish security forces who violated U.S. law, and allow justice to be pursued unfettered,” added Pallone.

“Our Constitution guarantees the freedom of assembly and speech. Those rights cannot be trampled by an abusive foreign leader or his security personnel. I look forward to a more robust response from your Administration on this incident, and I thank you for your consideration,” concluded Pallone.

Also on Thursday, California Republican congressman Jim Costa issued a statement regarding Tuesday’s brutal attack.

“Given Turkey’s movement towards an authoritarian government, President Erdoğan’s visit with the President in the West Wing is unsettling. President Erdoğan’s recent elimination of individual freedoms and jailing members of the press should not be rewarded by a visit to the Oval Office,” said Costa.

“To add injury to insult, it appears that a contingent of President Erdoğan’s security team unilaterally took violent action against peaceful demonstrators who were raising awareness of Turkey’s violations of human rights. The Turkish security guards clearly attacked the Armenian, Kurdish, Yezidi, and other human rights demonstrators, sending nine to the hospital,” added Costa.

“Sadly, it appears that history may be repeating itself. Many of us in recent weeks have seen the movie “The Promise,” which is an accurate historical portrayal of the Armenian genocide that took place beginning in 1915 at the hands of the Ottoman Empire. In the movie, we witnessed the beginnings of these acts of atrocity with the depiction of young, Turkish men beating innocent people. As we know, modern-day Turkey has been unwilling as a country to acknowledge the genocide ever happened. We cannot allow Tuesday’s violent and illegal behavior by the Turkish security guards to go unaddressed,” stressed Costa. “The actions of the Turkish security guards are outrageous, and I condemn them. They violate both American law and deeply-held American values. The Turkish security guards must be held accountable.

“Our American President should take appropriate diplomatic and legal action against these Turkish thugs for their violence towards the Armenian, Kurdish, Yezidi, and other human rights demonstrators. If he does so, I believe he will find overwhelming bipartisan support in the US Congress,” urged Costa. </s> Turkey summons US ambassador to protest violence during Erdogan visit to Washington

Turkey has summoned the US ambassador to protest the "aggressive and unprofessional" treatment of Turkish security officials in Washington during a visit by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week, the Foreign Ministry said.

A brawl erupted between protesters and Turkish security personnel outside the Turkish ambassador's residence during Mr Erdogan's visit to Washington to meet US President Donald Trump.

Turkey blamed the violence on demonstrators linked to the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) while Washington's police chief described the incident as a "brutal attack" on peaceful protesters by the security officials.

The US State Department said in a statement the conduct of Turkish security personnel during the incident was "deeply disturbing" — it confirmed the US ambassador in Ankara had been summoned by the Turkish Government to discuss the "violent incidents".

The Turkish Foreign Ministry said it summoned the US ambassador to protest "aggressive and unprofessional actions" by US security personnel to the security team of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

It said that lapses of security experienced during Mr Erdogan's stay in Washington were caused "by the inability of US authorities to take sufficient precautions at every stage of the official program", adding that incidents would not overshadow what was otherwise a "very successful" visit.

Police have said 11 people were injured, including a Washington police officer, and two people were arrested for assault. At least one of those arrested was a protester.

Washington said last week it was voicing its strongest possible concern to Turkey over the brawl, while US senator John McCain, one of the leading foreign policy voices in Congress, on Thursday called for the expulsion of Turkey's US ambassador. </s> Nevermind the videos of Turkish security officers in Washington stomping protesters.

The country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs now says the real problem with last week's shocking brawl outside the Turkish Embassy was U.S. law enforcement's actions.

The government on Monday summoned the U.S. ambassador in Ankara and delivered a "written and verbal protest" over what it called the "aggressive and [unprofessional] actions taken ... by US security personnel" toward the "close protection team" in D.C. last week.

That sound you hear is the gasping of U.S. lawmakers -- already outraged over Turkish bodyguards' violence toward demonstrators in a normally serene Washington neighorhood.

“This is really rich," Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., told Fox News on Monday, in response to the Ministry statement.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., tweeted, “Can’t make it up…” in reference to the ambassador summons.

The Turkish government's attempt to shift blame comes after their bodyguards were captured on video hitting and kicking protesters in D.C., as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan looked on from afar.

The ministry is now requesting a "full investigation of this diplomatic incident," citing "lapses of security" during Erdogan's stay in Washington allegedly "caused by the inability of US authorities to take sufficient precautions at every stage of the official program."

But U.S. lawmakers say that's hardly the case.

"D.C. Police intervened when Erdogan’s security thugs attacked Americans peacefully exercising their first amendment rights outside the Turkish Embassy," Lofgren said.

Lofgren referred to video from the scene that showed U.S. officers struggling to protect protesters.

Lofgren added: “The security thugs should not have been released from jail as they were clearly a flight risk. They should be charged with assault and arrested if they ever try to enter the U.S. again.”

Lofgren also criticized President Trump, who is on his first overseas trip as commander-in-chief, for not directly addressing the incident, though his State Department has condemned the violence.

The latest statement from the Turkish government could inflame an already tense situation, as multiple lawmakers have called on the Trump administration to punish Turkey severely.

McCain suggested last week that “we should throw their ambassador the hell out of the United States of America.”

And Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., warned the Turkish government there could be financial consequences if they failed to punish the security officials involved in the incident.

Graham and Leahy, who oversee the U.S. foreign aid budget, sent a letter on May 18 to the Turkish ambassador to the U.S. Serdar Killic warning there could be “potential implications for assistance to Turkey should this matter be given less than the highest attention and consideration it deserves by the Government of Turkey.”

The State Department confirmed on Monday that the Turkish government summoned U.S. Ambassador John Bass to the Foreign Ministry.

“The conduct of Turkish security personnel last week was deeply disturbing,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said. “The State Department has raised its concerns about those events at the highest levels.”

Turkey is now claiming the protesters were associated with the PKK.

But D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham said earlier the violence appeared to be unprovoked. The U.S. Secret Service announced last week it is investigating the brawl, which sent nine people to the hospital.

D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department also told Fox News on Monday that the investigation “remains active” and is being conducted jointly by the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, U.S. Secret Service, and MPD.

MPD added: “All three law enforcement agencies are actively sharing information and will remain in contact as the investigation proceeds.”

Brooke Singman is a Reporter for Fox News. Follow her on Twitter at @brookefoxnews. </s> Turkey summoned the U.S. ambassador on Monday to protest what it called "aggressive and unprofessional actions" by American security personnel against Turkish bodyguards in Washington during President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit last week.

The action appeared to be in retaliation to calls in the U.S. for strong action against the Turkish security officers who were seen hitting and kicking protesters outside the Turkish ambassador's residence in Washington during Erdogan's visit. A video shared on social media showed Erdogan watching the melee.

Two Turkish bodyguards were briefly detained after the incident but later set free and returned to Turkey. The United States summoned the Turkish ambassador to raise concerns over the altercation, but President Donald Trump's administration is facing growing calls for a forceful response to the violence by Turkish security officials on American soil.

The incident added to the already strained ties between the U.S. and Turkey — two NATO allies who are at odds over a U.S. policy to back Syrian Kurdish rebels fighting the Islamic State group in Syria. Turkey considers the fighters to be terrorists.

A Turkish Foreign Ministry statement said U.S. Ambassador John Bass was given a "written and verbal protest" over the treatment of two security officers that it said were "contrary to diplomatic rules and practices." The statement said the two officers were part of Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu's security detail.

The Turkish ministry said it had requested that the U.S. authorities conduct "a full investigation of this diplomatic incident."

Just after news broke that he had been summoned, Ambassador Bass was at the airport in Ankara, where he greeted U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley as she arrived on a previously scheduled trip.

Last week's incident wasn't the first time violence accompanied a visit by a Turkish leader to the U.S. Last year, a similar fight erupted outside a nuclear security summit in Washington, attended by Erdogan.
The U.S. summons Turkish ambassador Serdar Kılıç after violence between protesters and Turkish security personnel outside the Embassy of Turkey, Washington, D.C. leaves over a dozen people injured. U.S. Senator John McCain calls on the Trump administration to expel the ambassador.