Istanbul Bar Association General Assembly faces protests and physical altercations

The 128th Ordinary General Assembly of the Istanbul Bar Association, held at the Haliç Congress Center, was marked by intense political tension and physical confrontations among lawyer groups.

Disputes began over the assembly's program, which initially only included a moment of silence. Following objections, the program was amended to include the Turkish National Anthem. This led to protests by the Nationalist Lawyers Group, who displayed the Turkish flag and chanted slogans such as “Ne mutlu Türk’üm diyene” (How happy is the one who says I am a Turk) during candidate Ümit Kocasakal’s speech.

Further volatility occurred following a speech by presidential candidate Arife Gökkaya Dinç. After some participants displayed an LGBT+ flag and chanted “Nefrete inat, yaşasın hayat” (Live life in defiance of hate), other groups responded with anti-PKK slogans. The resulting tension escalated into a physical fight between lawyers, forcing a 15-minute recess. The assembly leadership later issued a statement noting that the Turkish flag belongs to everyone in the hall and requested it not be used as a political tool during the election process.