ANKARA -

Decisions by a Turkish mayor and threats against refugees by opposition leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu have recently deepened the fears of Syrians living in Turkey about a new wave of political and social pressure on them.

The mayor of the city of Bolu, Tango Ozcan, of the opposition Republican People's Party, sparked controversy by moving to impose fees 10 times higher on Syrians' water bills.

The opposition leader and head of the Republican People's Party, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, also pledged to deport all Syrian refugees from Turkey within a maximum period of two years if his party came to power.

A member of the founding council of the opposition "Good" party, Eli Aksoy, who is known for her hostility to the Syrian presence in Turkey, posted a tweet on "Twitter" in which she said that about 70% of Syrians are illiterate, considering that the high rate of illiteracy among Syrian refugees had a negative impact on the level of education. in Turkey.

Although some view this discourse as falling within the political rivalries between the opposition parties and the ruling Justice and Development Party, the data indicates that the escalation in its presentation may lead to dangerous indications, while those in charge of the inflammatory discourse say that their goal is to force the Syrians to Return to their country.


Polo Developments

According to the Turkish "Demiroran" agency, lawyer Arzu Aydin has filed a lawsuit against Özcan to the Bolu Public Prosecutor's Office.

The Official Association for Refugee Rights in Turkey also filed a lawsuit against Ozcan for his "racist speech", and that it will follow up the legal procedures against him personally, according to the association's statement.

For its part, Turkish media reported that an official investigation had been opened against Ozcan.

The Hurriyet newspaper said the Bolu Public Prosecutor's Office had launched an investigation against him on charges of "abuse of power, hate and discrimination".

Ozcan had said during his press conference, "Let them sue me, I am speaking publicly about the reason for my decision, and I know that people will describe me as a fascist, but I simply do not care."

3 hashtags, described as inflammatory, topped the Turkish trend on the Twitter network, and thousands of accounts interacted through them, with users calling for the Syrians to be forced to return.

The party behind these campaigns is not known, while journalists close to the Turkish government say that it aims to inflame the street against the ruling Justice and Development Party, as it expresses defensive positions on behalf of the Syrians and their survival in the country.

On the other hand, many Turks attacked the mayor of Bolu, describing him as a fascist, calling on the authorities to stop him and hold him accountable for his statements that have nothing to do with the morals of the Turks, as they put it.

Ozcan is known for his racist attitudes towards Syrian refugees. During his election campaign in 2019, he called for their expulsion from Turkey, saying, "We do not want to see Syrians in our country." When he became mayor of Bolu in 2019, he canceled the decision to provide food aid to the needy.

Bolu is located between Istanbul and Ankara in a tourist area, with a population of 229,896 people, and 1,200 refugees, according to official data issued by the Turkish Immigration Department. Thus, the ratio of Syrians to the original citizens in the city is 0.38%.

Tango Ozcan sparked controversy by moving to impose a 10-fold fee on Syrians' water bills (communication sites)

Fear of the Syrians

The recent developments raised the fear of the Syrians, especially that the local elections that took place in 2019, which put the Syrians at the forefront, also produced incidents of violence and racism towards Syrians, although the Turkish government has repeatedly declared its commitment to protecting the Syrians.

In this context, Turkish journalist Oraz Aydin - a member of the "We Want to Live Together" initiative that combats racism against Syrians in Turkey - confirms that the racism faced by migrants goes beyond all political sensitivities, as citizens believe that refugees stole job opportunities from Turks and contributed to the collapse of the economy, indicating That "all of this stems from an old racist tendency targeting Arabs in general and tons of vulgar expressions that are circulated on social media."

"We are very shocked by the decisions taken, and these developments will make us think about leaving," said Saleh al-Shaabani, a Syrian citizen residing in Bolu state. ".

While Maha, a Syrian student residing in Ankara, says, "There are also a large number of Turks who support us, this should not be forgotten, and I think the situation is worse for the Syrians who went to Europe."


Legal aspect

Article 10 of the Turkish Constitution states that everyone is equal before the law, without any discrimination based on language, race, color, sex, thought, belief, religion, sect or similar reasons.

According to Article 216 of the Turkish Penal Code, anyone who publicly incites a segment of the population with different characteristics to hatred and enmity against another segment of the population, which causes a clear and imminent danger to public safety, shall be punished with imprisonment from one to three years.

"Legally, people cannot be treated on the basis of discrimination, and race cannot be taken into account when hiring or forming parties, for example," lawyer Zafer Buyuk Gümeş told Al Jazeera Net.

Buyuk Gümeş added, "According to the law, the mayor cannot issue decisions related to deportations because the municipalities are concerned with providing services such as cleaning, water and sanitation, and collecting specific taxes. The issue of deportation is linked to the central authority, which is the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which still supports the Syrians, and any decision The deportation is effective if it is taken by the representative of the government in the city, who is the governor.

It is true that the municipalities do not have the authority to expel Syrians, but their decisions have psychological dimensions, and put the Syrians before a new stage, especially since the opposition Republican People’s Party heads 11 major municipalities, including large cities such as Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Antalya and Adana, 10 states and 191 districts.

Yasin Aktay: There is no way to expel people who have sought refuge in Turkey under certain conditions in their country (Turkish press)

official position

In this context, Yasin Aktay, an advisor to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, described the decisions of the Mayor of Bolu, as well as the threats of opposition leader Kılıçdaroğlu with sectarianism, considering the return of Syrian refugees to Syria as impossible.

Aktay told Al Jazeera Net, "There is no such thing as expelling or sending people who have sought refuge in Turkey to their country after they obtained refugee status under certain conditions."

He pointed out that the hate speech adopted by Kılıçdaroğlu and others targeting Syrian refugees in Turkey is "a very dangerous matter", adding, "Just being upset with the state itself providing this service to refugees is a serious humanitarian problem."

And the Turkish president's advisor added, "No Syrian actually enjoys more privileged treatment than the Turkish citizen. However, some phrases and rumors are repeated for free."

For his part, the Assistant Director-General of the Migration Department of the Turkish Ministry of the Interior, Gökçe Ok, posted a tweet in which he said, "We carefully note the provocative news published on social media, especially... It is essential that our Syrian brothers not be a tool for any inciting action."

The number of Syrians residing in Turkey is 3,690,896, according to the statistics of the General Directorate of Migration Management in 2021.