Violence erupts at Turkish president's speech in New York

File photo shows Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan attends a ceremony in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo by Reuters)

Fighting broke out at a speech by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in New York on Friday after protesters disrupted the event.

Video showed demonstrators being hit with flags and punched in the face as they were removed by security personnel.

"My dear brothers, my dear brothers, my dear brothers: I've got a request for you. Please, let's not waste this nice meeting because of one or two idiots, one or two armchair terrorists." Erdogan said to diffuse the tension before his speech.

On Thursday, US President Donald Trump praised Erdogan as a friend despite tensions between the two countries over Turkish security officials involved in street fighting with protesters during a visit to Washington in May.

Meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Trump hailed Erdogan's leadership in Turkey and said Erdogan "has become a friend of mine."


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