A group of people from the İstanbul branch of the Grey Wolves (Ülkü Ocakları), a nationalist youth movement affiliated with the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), on Friday stoned a building in İstanbul’s Bağcılar district where main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) İstanbul deputy Eren Erdem was attending a panel discussion.
Broadcasting live through Periscope from the event venue, Erdem said a group of people from the Grey Wolves had surrounded and stoned the building.
“They are trying to enter the building. They call themselves Grey Wolves, and I know who sent them. They provoked our panel. All the glass windows are down [because of the stones],” he said.
CHP İstanbul deputy Gürsel Tekin later announced from Twitter that the chaos in the CHP panel discussion was sorted out after the MHP İstanbul branch chairman got involved.
After Erdem criticized MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli for his support of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in numerous political issues in Parliament, Grey Wolves İstanbul head Ahmet Yiğit threatened Erdem from Twitter, saying: “Don’t walk around on the streets of İstanbul. Your nonexistent face might be smashed in.”
Erdem earlier wrote on his Twitter account that Bahçeli, whose given name means “state” in Turkish, must change his name to Hükümet (Government) Bahçeli.