Deaths and arrests: Turkey closes border with Syria to stem xenophobic violence
Turkish police detain at least 474 people. In Afrin, four people died in gunfight between protesters and Turkish troops. Violence was triggered by reports that went viral on social media concerning sexual abuse by a Syrian refugee against a minor. The case reflects the growing intolerance towards foreigners in Turkey.
Istanbul (AsiaNews) – Turkey closed the main border point with northwestern Syria after its troops came under fire from Syrians angered by violence against their compatriots across the border.
The highly tense and confused situation began with an incident in Melikgazi district where a Syrian refugee allegedly abused a child, sparking outrage among local Turks who reacted violently against refugees with several people dead and injured.
After unrest broke out late on Sunday Turkish police detained 474 people involved in attacks targeting Syrians across the country overnight, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said.
In Kayseri province (central Anatolia), the violence continued until the morning of the following day, while the governor's office confirmed the arrest of the person suspected of child abuse, who was taken into custody by law enforcement.
In Kayseri, Syrian properties and vehicles were vandalised and set on fire, while the unrest spread to the provinces of Hatay, Gaziantep, Konya, Bursa, and a district of Istanbul, with some immigrants reporting injuries.
Hundreds of Syrians later took to the streets in several rebel-held cities in northwestern Syria, an area where Turkey maintains thousands of troops preventing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from regaining control of the entire country.
Ankara responded to the unrest by closing the Bab al Hawa crossing.
The city of Afrin reported the worst clashes, with at least four dead from an exchange of fire between armed protesters and Turkish troops.
The alleged sexual abuse of a minor, which police are investigating but few details have emerged so far, and the violent reaction of the population have also become a matter of confrontation between the government and the opposition in Turkey.
The government says it is countering xenophobia, blaming the opposition for anti-refugee rhetoric, while the latter point the finger at the authorities in Ankara for failing to handle the refugee issue.
The events provoked counter-protests in northern Syria, where angry protesters burnt Turkish flags.
Experts note that the incident reflects a growing intolerance towards immigrants, especially Syrians, in Turkey, a country that hosts the largest number of refugees in the world with 3.6 million registered Syrians and about 320,000 of other nationalities.
The figure comes from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), but it excludes "irregular" migrants, whose number is currently unknown.
According to official statistics from Turkey’s Interior Ministry, about 83,000 Syrian refugees are registered in Kayseri as of May 2024 who represent cheap labour and are the target of nationalist and religious propaganda.
A 2021 study by the TEPAV, a Turkish-based economic policy research foundation, almost all employed Syrian refugees work informally.
Many businesses hire them to avoid to raise the minimum wage. Last year, Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz acknowledged the need for a "regular flow of migrants" to meet labour needs.
Yet, an 2024 study by Ipsos on behalf of the UNHCR shows that Turkey has the highest level of anti-refugee sentiment among 52 countries surveyed.
About 77 per cent of respondents are in favour of the total closure of borders to refugees (the global average is 40 per cent), while 70 per cent believe refugees arriving in Turkey are not fleeing war, but seeking a more comfortable life. Support for a policy of openness is declining.
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29/01/2019 18:38
