The State Department summoned Turkey's ambassador after bodyguards and supporters of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan beat protesters outside the Turkish embassy earlier this week.

A State Department official said Ambassador Serdar Kilic met with Under Secretary of State Thomas Shannon Wednesday -- a day after the embassy violence. "Violence is never an appropriate response to free speech, and we support the rights of people everywhere to free expression and peaceful protest," State Department spokesman Heather Nauert said. "We are communicating our concern to the Turkish government in the strongest possible terms."

The embassy blamed the violence on groups linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), saying they "aggressively provoked Turkish-American citizens" who had gathered to greet Erdogan.

Tuesday's fight outside the embassy injured 11 people, at least one critically. It took place just hours after Erdogan met with President Donald Trump at the White House.

土耳其总统埃尔多安的保镖和支持者本周早些时候在土耳其大使馆外殴打抗议者后，美国国务院传召了土耳其驻美大使。

国务院一位官员说，使馆暴力事件一天后，塞尔达尔·克勒奇大使星期三同美国次国务卿托马斯.沙农会面。“暴力永远不是回应言论自由的妥善方式，我们支持任何地方的人民自由表达与和平抗议的权利。” 国务院发言人努尔特说：“我们以最强烈的措辞向土耳其政府表达了我们的关切。”

土耳其大使馆把暴力事件归咎于和库尔德工人党有联系的团体，并且说他们对聚集在那里迎接埃尔多安的土耳其裔美国公民进行了野蛮挑衅。

星期二土耳其使馆外的暴力事件导致11人受伤，至少一人伤势严重。几个小时前，川普总统和埃尔多安总统在白宫举行了会晤。

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