Describing the beating as “unwanted and unacceptable,” Hadi said such violent behaviour should not occur “in the culture of a peaceful city like Erbil.”
The 12 arrested appeared in video footage of the brawl that was widely shared on social media.
The video appears to show a number of people attacking two Arab tourists near Erbil’s City Park in the downtown.
“Don’t let him go,” screamed some of the attackers as they chased a man.
“Beat him, beat him,” shouted others.
Bystanders could be heard asking “What have they done?” but no clear answer was forthcoming.
Hadi said the cause of the incident is unknown and under investigation.
Erbil’s security force denied a racial motive was involved.
“The fight has nothing to do with [ethnicity]. It was just a group of people engaging in a fight in a crowd,” said Tariq Nuri, head of Asayesh in Erbil. “There are Arabs living everywhere in Erbil, in safety.”
According to information, the two Arab youth had come to Kurdistan as part of a tour group from Basra.
The tourists did not file a lawsuit and have left Erbil, Governor Hadi said. He assured visitors that authorities will not allow such behaviour to become a precedent in Erbil and the Kurdistan Region.
Head of Erbil Police Hogir Aziz confirmed that no one had filed a complaint with the police.
Governor Hadi promised the city would remain safe for tourists coming from central and southern Iraq and slammed some parties for trying to twist the incident for political purposes.
“This incident has nothing to do with any party and the brawl does not align with the traditions of Erbil and is unacceptable,” he stressed.
“We are making tourists sure that this not our policy,” he said, adding they will not let the attackers get away with such violence.
“One of our basic principles is co-existence and showing respect to tourists as Kurdistan over the past few years has been home to [displaced] people and a destination of tourists,” the governor said.
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