Mass brawl erupts in Turkish parliament over constitutional amendment

A mass brawl broke out in Turkey between legislators from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP), with people throwing bottles of water and punches at each other.The row revolved around a contentious bill to strip legislators of their immunity for prosecution, which could pave the way for the trial of several pro-Kurdish lawmakers on terror-related charges. The HDP, which believes the bill is aimed at suppressing dissent against the AKP government of president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, walked out of the constitutional committee meeting after the brawl. One legislator was left with a dislocated shoulder. Footage shot by a journalist sitting in on the sessions shows lawmakers throwing punches at each other amidst the heated debate.The proposal, which was prepared after Erdogan accused the HDP of being an arm of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), was later approved by the committee. The meeting took place after a previous session on April 28 was postponed when it descended into a fistfight.