Erdogan blames opposition for stoking xenophobia after Turkish riots target Syrian shops

Shafaq News/ Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused opposition parties of inciting xenophobia and racism on Monday, following riots in central Turkiye where residents set fire to Syrian-owned shops.

The unrest erupted in the Melikgazi district of Kayseri province late on Sunday, after reports surfaced that a Syrian refugee had allegedly sexually harassed a 7-year-old Syrian girl. Outraged residents overturned cars and torched shops, demanding the expulsion of Syrians from the area.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on social media platform X that 67 people suspected of involvement in the violence had been detained.

In a televised address on Monday, Erdogan accused opposition parties, who have been vocal about repatriating refugees, of inciting the violence. "Nothing can be achieved by fueling xenophobia and hatred of refugees in society," Erdogan said, condemning the opposition's "poisonous discourse."

Since the outbreak of Syria's civil war in 2011, Turkiye has taken in hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees, becoming the country with the largest refugee population globally. However, as the refugee population grew to 3.6 million and Turkiye faced economic difficulties, anti-migrant sentiment has risen.

Authorities confirmed that the alleged abuser in Melikgazi was arrested, and the girl, her siblings, and her mother were placed under state protection and will receive psychological support.

The violence in Melikgazi sparked a backlash in opposition-held areas of northwestern Syria, including those controlled by Turkish-backed forces. In Aleppo province, near the Turkish border, dozens of people gathered to block Turkish convoys and trucks from entering towns like al-Rai and al-Bab, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Videos on social media showed young men and boys chasing a truck bearing Turkish writing and clashing with local security forces.

Demonstrators also expelled employees from a Turkish post office in the Syrian city of Azaz.

Rami Abdul Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP that demonstrations occurred "in widespread areas" along the Turkish-controlled border in northern Syria and were "accompanied by violence."

Abdul Rahman reported "clashes with automatic weapons between armed protesters and Turkish forces in front of the Saraya building in Afrin, northern Aleppo countryside." As a result, "one protester was killed, and seven others were injured and taken to hospitals for treatment," according to the Observatory, which noted a state of "extreme tension and chaos" in the region.

Protesters attempted to storm Turkish positions, removing Turkish flags in the process. The Turkish guards responded with gunfire to disperse them in the cities of al-Atarib and al-Abzmo in the western Aleppo countryside. The Observatory reported that "Turkish border guards fired live bullets at protesters" who breached the "Jarabulus border crossing."

The demonstrations also spread to areas in neighboring Idlib, controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and allied factions, the Observatory added.

Tensions have been rising in Syrian opposition-held areas over an apparent rapprochement between Ankara and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government, including plans to open a crossing between government-held areas and those controlled by Turkish-backed opposition forces in Aleppo.