Slogans turn into a brawl at Istanbul Bar Association general assembly

A fistfight broke out among lawyers on 24 October at the Halic Congress Center during the Istanbul Bar Association's 128th Ordinary General Assembly, convened to determine the 2026-2028 term leadership. The tension erupted after Arife Gökkaya Dinç, the Independent Lawyers Group's presidential candidate, finished her speech.

Play video: Slogans turn into a brawl at Istanbul Bar Association general assembly (Duration 0:40)

Slogans turned into a brawl

After Dinç's speech, a group of lawyers unfurled an LGBT+ flag and chanted "Defy hatred, long live life." Another group of lawyers who objected responded with "Down with the PKK" slogans. The verbal dispute quickly escalated into a fistfight.

Following the scuffle, the presiding board paused the assembly for 15 minutes. After the sides calmed down, the meeting resumed with candidate speeches where it left off.

Turkish flag unfurled, warning from presiding board

During the speech of Prof. Dr. Ümit Kocasakal, presidential candidate of the Republican Power Union, a Turkish flag was unfurled in the hall and slogans such as "Happy is the one who says I am a Turk" and "We are Mustafa Kemal's soldiers" were chanted. The presiding board made an announcement stating that the Turkish flag is a shared value of all lawyers in the hall and should not be used as an election tool.

When is the election?

The general assembly is being held on 24-25 October. Speaking times for the nine presidential candidates were limited to 20 minutes each. The vote to determine the bar's new president, board and other members will be held on Sunday, 25 October.