VIDEO - Massive brawl breaks out in Ankara city council over extravagant spending

A massive brawl broke out in Ankara’s city council on Thursday over the costs of Turkey’s Republic Day celebrations.

It began when reports circulated that the city council had allocated USD two million (69 million Turkish liras) for pop singer Ebru Gündeş to perform at the celebrations that took place on Oct. 29.

It is said that the council allocated a further USD 2.1 million (71 million liras) for a performance by rock band Mor ve Ötesi, sparking outrage over what council members called care-free spending as Turkey struggles economically.

"How can we justify this when people are struggling?" one council member shouted moments before the brawl broke out.