Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Video: Security Guards Gone Wild At The U.N.
By
Garth Johnston
Published Sep 28, 2011
Modified Sep 28, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Garth Johnston
Published Sep 28, 2011
Modified Sep 28, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The U.N. makes us think of lots of things (diplomats, platitudes, architecture), but physical altercations are not normally one of them. And yet now video has surfaced from last week's General Assembly showing an all-out, eh, scuffle inside the U.N. which seems to have started when Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was shoved by a United Nations security Guard.
Details on what exactly caused the scuffle (which led to an apology from Secretary General Ban Ki-moon apologized and the suspension of six security guards) are inconsistent but here's what the Times' thinks went down:
Mr. Erdogan was having a private meeting with President Jalal Talabani of Iraq when he heard that the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, was about to make his speech demanding full United Nations membership for a state of Palestine.
Mr. Erdogan rushed toward the hall where Mr. Abbas was to speak, but the prime minister found himself at an entrance to a crowded visitors gallery, and United Nations guards refused to let him in. He tried to enter anyway and, by most accounts, Mr. MacFarquhar reported, a guard pushed him.
The ensuing fight sent one guard to the hospital with a rib injury, and there were unconfirmed reports of bloodstains on the floor.
The Post was less careful in the way it described the fight, finding a source who said the Turks "acted like thugs. United Nations security isn’t allowed to use force, and the Turkish staff had diplomatic immunity.”
A spokesman for Ki-Moon says the incident was caused by "unfortunate misunderstandings" and that "necessary action was taken to prevent such misunderstandings in the future." Which is a very diplomatic way of saying "shit got out of hand and people are going to get canned."
Tagged
diplomats
fight
security guard
turkey
UN
united nations
Garth Johnston
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Queens pharmacy owner charged in alleged $31M Medicaid drugs fraud
The accused allegedly used the proceeds of the scheme to fund construction and real estate purchases.
By
Caroline Lewis
Published Oct 7, 2026 at 5:15 p.m. ET
NJ probe finds about 1,100 more problematic voter registrations
The Sherrill administration has been investigating New Jersey’s automatic voter registration since the governor revealed in July that up to 6,600 noncitizens had been registered to vote.
By
Mike Hayes
News
NJ probe finds about 1,100 more problematic voter registrations
The Sherrill administration has been investigating New Jersey’s automatic voter registration since the governor revealed in July that up to 6,600 noncitizens had been registered to vote.
By
Mike Hayes
Man convicted of scamming NYC renters out of $100K sentenced to 2-4 years in prison
By
Catalina Gonella
MTA moves ahead with $1.1B plan to put modern fare gates at 150 subway stations
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
NYPD identifies man wanted in connection with deadly Bronx balcony push
By
Charles Lane
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .