WATCH | Fists Of Fury: Turkey Parliamentarians Come To Blows, Video Viral

A brawl erupted in Turkey's parliament on Friday as lawmakers gathered to discuss the status of jailed opposition figure Can Atalay, who had controversially been stripped of his parliamentary immunity earlier this year.

The session followed a recent ruling by Turkey's constitutional court, which struck down the earlier decision by parliament to remove Atalay from his seat, reported AFP.

Photo Credit: X

Atalay, a lawyer and rights activist, lost his parliamentary seat in January after a heated session, despite opposition from fellow leftist deputies.

He had been one of seven defendants sentenced to 18 years in prison in 2022 in a trial that also saw philanthropist Osman Kavala jailed for life.

Atalay had run for parliament from prison, representing Hatay province, which had been devastated by an earthquake. He was elected as a member of the leftist Workers' Party of Turkey (TIP), which holds three seats in parliament.

However, Atalay's election win led to a legal clash between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's supporters and opposition leaders, almost triggering a constitutional crisis last year.

His removal from parliament in January followed a supreme court ruling that upheld his conviction, thus allowing the stripping of his immunity.

The constitutional court's decision on August 1 declared Atalay's ouster "null and void."

During Friday's session, TIP deputy Ahmet Sik defended Atalay, stating, "It's no surprise that you call Atalay a terrorist... All citizens should know that the biggest terrorists of this country are those seated on those benches," referring to the ruling majority.

This remark sparked outrage among ruling party lawmakers.

The situation escalated when former footballer and Erdogan ally Alpay Ozalan, a lawmaker from the ruling AKP party, walked to the rostrum and shoved Sik to the ground, according to an AFP journalist present in parliament.

Another opposition MP was injured while attempting to calm the situation.

Footage shared online showed the brawl and staff cleaning blood stains from the parliament floor afterward.

Turkey's parliament has a history of lifting immunity from opposition politicians, many of whom are Kurds and whom the government often labels as "terrorists."