On Tuesday bodyguards of the Turkish President were involved in a massive bloody fight outside of the Turkish ambassador's residence in Washington, D.C.
The guards in suits were caught on video kicking protesters as officers tried to shut the brawl down. 9 people were hurt and 2 others were arrested, but none of those detained were the bodyguards.
The State Department said that the U.S. was:
"Communicating our concern to the Turkish government in the strongest possible terms."
Spokeswoman Heather Nauert said:
"Violence is never an appropriate response to free speech, and we support the rights of people everywhere to free expression and peaceful protest."
The Turkish government blamed the protesters, whom they said were affiliated with terrorist groups:
"The violence and injuries were the result of this unpermitted, provocative demonstration. We hope that, in the future, appropriate measures will be taken to ensure that similar provocative actions causing harm and violence do not occur."
President Trump had just met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House just a few hours before the fight.
The gathering was made up of pro-Turkey demonstrators, but turned into chaos when someone was reportedly seen carrying a flag of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party in Syria affiliated with a group that the U.S. wants to arm.
The Turkish government considers them to be an offshoot of a terrorist organization.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser the "violent attack on a peaceful demonstration — is an affront to DC values and our rights as Americans."