What could be funnier than a group of British MPs (Members of Parliament) getting into a physical brawl in the midst of a parliamentary session? Well, for one, a bunch of Turkish MPs doing the same thing.

And that’s what happened a few days ago, when leftist MP Ahmet Sik made some sort of statement in favor of disgraced (and imprisoned) former MP Can Atalay. This seemed to irritate MP Alpay Ozalan of President Erdogan’s ruling AK party, because he approached the dais and grabbed hold of Mr. Sik, and . . . well, see for yourselves:

According to the online video [BBC News, August 16, 2024], it only took seconds before a truckload of Turks came rushing forward — some, no doubt, to put a stop to the altercation, but really . . . how many Turks (or anyone else) does it take to break up a pair of pugilists? Well, judging from the film, quite a few.

First came the surge:

And then they got in close and dirty:

And this is the man over whom they were scuffling:

The BBC article did not go into the background of Mr. Atalay’s legal difficulties, but it did say he had been in prison since 2022, and had successfully run for a seat in Parliament in 2023. He has, however, been removed from that post.

I tried to find some further information on the charges against him, and quite frankly — despite my years of work in the legal field — it was all Greek . . . no, Turkish . . . to me. But I did glean from an article the fact that he is an attorney who was involved in a number of high-profile cases, including representing the Taksim Solidarity, an organization formed in opposition to an initiative to construct a shopping mall in Gezi Park (wherever that is). He then was somehow implicated in some shady goings-on, convicted of “attempting to overthrow the Government of the Republic of Turkey,” and sentenced to 18 years in prison on April 25, 2022. [Wikipedia.org.]

Well, no wonder he lost his seat in Parliament!

So apparently, while Mr. Atalay’s status was being discussed, Mr. Sik took to defending him against verbal attacks from some AK Party lawmakers. And that’s when the melee began.

What fun! I mean, let’s not hold back, fellas. You don’t agree with someone? Don’t like what he’s saying? Just come out swinging. That’s the gentlemanly, civilized thing to do . . . right?

*. *. *

And lest you think I’m picking on Turkiye, check these out:

In South Africa . . .

And in Japan . . .

And in Bolivia . . .

And yes, in the U.K. as well . . .

And those are just a small sampling. We — the peoples of the world — have become a bunch of savages, settling simple disagreements with whatever weapons are at hand or, if there are none, then with our fists. What ever happened to “Use your words, children”?

Oh, right . . . That no longer works on the playground, either.

Crap!

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/19/24