He called the protesters supporters of the PPK who were getting very close to him while the local police stood by.

The New York Times carefully deconstructed a video of the event, producing an interactive that allows readers to track who was involved in the violence, which witnesses say was instigated by Erdogan’s guards. In its account, the Times described men dressed in dark suits wearing “in-ear radio receivers, Turkish breast pins and lanyards with identification cards.”

Erdogan, by contrast, said there were Turkish patriots there who were attacked with megaphones “and started bleeding from the eye and head.” However, he complained, none of the protesters were charged. “Where’s the American judiciary right now?” he asked.

Earlier this week, Erdogan told PBS Newshour that Trump has apologized for the criminal charges announced against members of Erdogan’s detail, a claim the White House has denied. In today’s forum, the Turkish president also called the indictments political, and said the prosecutor behind the case “is quite known to us.”

📬 Sign up for the Daily Brief

Our free, fast, and fun briefing on the global economy, delivered every weekday morning.