2024-07-04 03:37:06
Today (Tuesday), the Turkish authorities arrested 474 people after acts of violence against Syrian interests in Turkey, following accusations of a Syrian man of harassing a girl, according to the French Press Agency.
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on the X website that “474 people were arrested after the provocative acts” carried out against Syrians in Turkey.
Groups of angry Turks burned down a house and several shops, and destroyed vehicles and property belonging to Syrians in Kayseri after a Syrian was arrested for allegedly molesting a five-year-old girl, and a video clip was circulated on social media showing him molesting her.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has previously blamed the opposition for the events in Kayseri. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya stressed that the government cannot allow incitement and acts that incite xenophobia. Erdogan said during a consultative meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the Kızılca Amam district of Ankara on Monday that no goal can be achieved by fueling xenophobia and hatred of refugees in society.
The protests were particularly concentrated in the densely populated Syrian neighbourhoods of Danışmangazi, Hurriyet, Selcuk and Aydinevlar, all of which are part of the town of Melikgazi. Angry protesters chanted: “We don’t want any more Syrians… We don’t want any more foreigners.” They also called on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government to resign, as they were responsible for bringing Syrians to Turkey.
Riot police were deployed in the areas where the protests took place, and Kayseri Governor Gokmen Cicek, who went down to the protest area, called on citizens via a loudspeaker from the balcony of a house to remain calm after 10 police officers were injured while trying to calm the protests.
The violence spread to other cities, including Istanbul, on Monday evening.
A journalist for Agence France-Presse indicated that the police had increased security measures around the Syrian consulate in Istanbul.
Turkey, which hosts some 3.2 million Syrian refugees, has seen xenophobic violence several times in recent years, often sparked by rumours spread on social media and text messaging apps.
Turkey, which hosts about 3.2 million Syrian refugees, has repeatedly witnessed a rise in xenophobia in recent years. Kayseri province, which has a population of about 1.4 million, is home to about 84,000 Syrians, ranking 14th among Turkish provinces hosting Syrians. It is famous for its commercial activity and is considered the province of the Anatolian region, the center of conservative Turks who adhere to Islamic traditions. The customs and traditions of its residents are very similar to those of many Arab peoples, especially in the Levant.
The fate of Syrian refugees in Turkey has become a regular focus of political debate in Turkish politics, with Erdogan’s opponents vowing to return them to Syria if they come to power, while the government talks about programs for the voluntary return of more than a million of the 3.2 million Syrians who have sought refuge in Turkey.
While Erdogan pledged during the presidential election campaign in May 2023, to return one million Syrians to their country.
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2024-07-04 03:37:06