Crowd attacks MHP dissidents at hall in southern Turkey

A hall being used by dissidents from the opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) was attacked by a group late on March 8 in the Silifke district of the southern province of Mersin. 

Ümit Özdağ, who was expelled from the party and is now an independent lawmaker from the southeastern province of Gaziantep, and Yusuf Halaçoğlu, an MHP lawmaker from the Central Anatolian province of Kayseri, were about to speak as part of their "no" campaign for the upcoming referendum on a presidential system when the group entered the hall.

Özdağ and Halaçoğlu were ushered out of the hall as part of security measures, as the group shouted slogans supporting MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli. 

"The real leader of the movement is Devlet Bahçeli," the group of nearly a hundred people shouted while smashing objects in the hall. 

A number of police officers were dispatched to the area and the lawmakers were able to make their speeches after the group was dispersed. 

Speaking about the incident, Halaçoğlu said such attacks "won't discourage them."

"If they think that we will be discouraged by these actions, they're wrong. We didn't take the road for the governance of one person. We are in this for the continuity of the Turkish Republic's parliamentary system and values," Halaçoğlu told OdaTV, adding that "they swore to protect the charter."

"Is it a crime to defend this constitution? We swore on our honor to protect this charter," he added. 

Özdağ, meanwhile, said that "there was open negligence by the police in the incident."

"I was also attacked in 2005 in Silifke. The crowd dispersed when the police fired into the air. However, I think that there is open negligence by the police in this attack because there was a...