After Trump-Erdogan Meeting, DC Protests Turn Violent

Authorities say nine people were hurt and two arrested during an altercation Tuesday outside the Turkish ambassador's residence in Washington, DC. Two of those hurt were seriously injured and taken to hospitals, reports the AP. Police say the altercation broke out about 4:30pm between two groups, but didn't elaborate on the circumstances. "We are protesting (President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's) policies in Turkey, in Syria, and in Iraq," Flint Arthur of Baltimore told CNN. He said Erdogan supporters breached police lines to attack them. One of those arrested was charged with assaulting a police officer. (The CNN story includes this Facebook video of the violence.)

The altercation came the same day that Erdogan met with President Trump at the White House. The State Department declined to comment. Before the violence broke out, Trump and Erdogan appeared together and promised stronger relations between the two nations, though the Guardian notes that their meeting came amid strained ties on two main fronts. Turkey is angry that the US is supporting Kurdish fighters fighting the Islamic State in Syria, and it accuses the US of harboring the mastermind of a failed coup in July. (Erdogan recently won sweeping new powers in Turkey.)