MP in custody for firing gun during Gaziantep election campaign
Violent scuffles broke out between members of the AK Party and CHP during election activities in front of a mall in Gaziantep, Turkey. Initially a heated discussion, the altercation quickly escalated, with both sides launching stones and plastic bottles. Matters took a turn for the worse when CHP Şehitkamil Municipality Councilor Ersin A drew a handgun and fired into the air. Police were called to the scene, and five people were taken to the hospital with injuries. Ersin A was subsequently arrested by the authorities. Abdulhamit Gul, former Minister of Justice and AK Party candidate for Gaziantep, spoke out forcefully against the attack, calling it an attack on democracy. The CHP Provincial Presidency issued a statement calling for common sense, while President Erdogan visited the injured, expressing his sympathies and wishing them a speedy recovery. The incident is a worrying sign of tensions arising during the run-up to the upcoming elections in Turkey on 14 May.
