An aide to Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he was "deeply saddened" by the Turkish mine disaster in Soma and "sorry" after he was seen kicking a protester there.
"I was deeply saddened by the Soma incident," he said. "I am sorry that I was not able to keep my calm."
The phrase, some say, is not an apology for kicking the man. It's more one that expresses regret.
Yusuf Yerkel says I am really sorry. It has profoundly affected me but I was provoked and insulted and then lost my temper.— alex thomson (@alextomo) May 15, 2014
PM adviser Yerkel who kicked #Soma protester: I'm sorry I couldn't keep my temper due to provocations and insults. pic.twitter.com/Fonx9E21tH— CNN Türk ENG (@CNNTURK_ENG) May 15, 2014
The aide, Yusuf Yerkel, was identified by both Turkish media and Twitter users on Wednesday after photos showed a man wearing a grey suit kicking a fallen protester. The suit was the same as Yerkel's.
The Associated Press on Thursday published three new photos that capture the incident and Yerkel -- who confirmed it was him in the photographs -- can be seen staring at the man on the ground with his leg poised in what appears to be a kicking motion.
Nearly 300 died in the Turkish coal mine collapse, a death toll that is expected to rise. Turks across the country are protesting the government for its negligence over its mining industry, and have grown increasingly angered over the Turkish government's response to this latest disaster.
Video surfaced on Thursday that appears to show the prime minister himself slapping a protester at the same location. It has yet to be confirmed if the man in the video is Erdogan striking another man, but if so, it will certainly only raise emotions around the mining tragedy that's said to be Turkey's worst.
Thanks to Brett Rosner, and many others on Twitter, for help with the translation.