İYİ Party lawmaker resigns over public reaction for swearing at protester

ANKARA

İYİ (Good) Party Group Deputy Chair Lütfü Türkkan on Nov. 6 resigned from his post at the party after he was accused of swearing at a protester in eastern province of Bingöl.

Video footage posted on social media showed Türkkan swearing at a relative of a person killed by the terror group PKK protesting İYİ Party leader Meral Akşener.

The İYİ party lawmaker came under fire by politicians and social media users.

Türkkan, who initially called the incident a “provocation,” later offered an apology. 

“I did something I should never have done, insulted, said bad words as a result of that nervous tension, that troubled situation,” Türkkan said in a video message he posted. 

Yavuz Ağıralioğlu, deputy chair of the İYİ Party, also issued a statement over the incident.

“Nothing can justify what Türkkan did. We are a political party which is willing to pay for the mistakes it makes. We do not hesitate to dismiss those who make mistakes,” Ağıralioğlu said yesterday, calling the incident implacable.
Türkkan handed his resignation from the post at the request of İYİ Party leader, Meral Akşener. 

Meanwhile, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made a phone call with the brother of the man whom Türkkan swore at. 

“This person [Türkkan] should not be in parliament. We will do what is necessary,” Erdoğan said, adding that he would raise the issue again at the parliamentary group meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) on Nov. 10. 

Defense Minister Hulusi Akar made a statement regarding the incident in question and said, “It is our duty to treat our martyr families and veterans with respect in every situation and in every way.