Pro-Palestinian protesters were seen attempting to storm a U.S. air base in Turkey that houses U.S. troops just before Secretary of State Antony Blinken was scheduled to arrive in the country.
The protest, which occurred at the Incirlik Air Base on Sunday, resulted in Turkish police using tear gas and water cannons on the crowds of people, according to Reuters.
In a video from the outlet, protesters were observed throwing chairs and stones, chanting various slogans, and waving the Palestinian and Saudi Arabian flags.
Fehmi Bulent Yildirim, the president of the Turkish non-profit and humanitarian relief aid organization IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation, praised the protesters and noted how Allah would “be pleased with all of” them.
“There was a good rally here,” Yildirim wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation had organized a convoy to travel to the air base and called for the base to be closed, according to the outlet.
Blinken arrived in the country to meet with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to talk about concerns over the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas after the Palestinian terrorist organization launched a surprise attack on Oct. 7 that left more than 1,400 Israelis dead.
The Turkish government has been critical of Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip and joined countries such as Bahrain and Jordan in removing its ambassador to Israel.
Prior to Blinken’s visit to Turkey, he made an unannounced stop in Iraq where he met with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and visited the U.S. Embassy. He received an update on the threats to U.S. facilities and personnel, according to CNN.
Blinken has also visited Israel, Jordan, and Cyprus and has met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during his tour around the region.
Pro-Palestinian protesters have taken to various cities throughout the U.S. and around the world to voice their frustrations and demand a ceasefire in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
On Friday, protesters calling for a ceasefire delayed a U.S. military supply ship from being able to depart from the Port of Oakland in California by holding onto the ladder of the ship and preventing workers from being able to shut the door, according to CBS News. The following day, thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters marched throughout Washington, D.C., calling for a ceasefire and an end to U.S. support for Israel.