Anti-Syrian refugee tensions erupted on Sunday after violence broke out in a central Anatolian city, causing damage to Syrian businesses and properties.
Ongoing Riots erupted after Turkish authorities arrested a Syrian man for allegedly sexually abusing a seven-year-old Syrian girl in the central city of Kayseri.
Enraged by internet accounts of the crime, Turkish citizens demanded on Sunday night that Syrians be expelled from the country by flipping over automobiles in Kayseri and setting Syrian-owned businesses on fire.
Protesters set fire to a Syrian grocery store in the southern province of Hatay as the violence expanded.
According to Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, the rioters “damaged houses, workplaces, and vehicles belonging to Syrian nationals,” and they were acting “illegally in an attitude that does not suit our human values.”
Turkish police announced Tuesday that they had detained over 470 people following anti-Syrian riots in numerous locations spurred by allegations that a Syrian man had harassed a youngster.
The violence erupted on Wednesday night following reports that a Syrian refugee had stabbed two Turkish men in a fight.
Hundreds of locals descended on an area of Ankara where a community of Syria migrants and refugees live.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the violence, which he blamed opposition parties for stoking.
“It is unacceptable to burn houses, vandalise and set streets on fire,” he said on Monday of the violence. “Nothing can be achieved by fueling xenophobia and hatred of refugees in society.”
Anti-Syrian rioting in Turkey was triggered by a complex interplay of factors. Tensions between local communities and Syrian refugees have been simmering for years due to issues related to resources, employment, and cultural differences:
Economic Strain: The surge of Syrian refugees has put a strain on the area’s public services, employment opportunities, and housing stock. Some Turkish nationals believe that this burden is unjust and attribute their financial difficulties to the refugees.
