Turkey: high tensions after the death of a young man stabbed by a migrant

Shops and houses belonging to Syrian families were attacked in Ankara on August 12, 2021, at night.

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3 min

Targeted attacks took place in Ankara in retaliation for the death of a young Turk attacked by a young man of foreign origin, presented as Syrian by part of the Turkish press.

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With our correspondent in Istanbul, 

Céline Pierre-Magnani 

Images of rare violence are looping on television screens in Turkey.

We see hundreds of people attacking storefronts with rage.

“

 We don't want Syrians, 

” exclaimed voices from the crowd.

These chilling scenes are reminiscent of episodes of pogroms that marred the country's history.

The police are criticized for their lack of responsiveness and the political class remains surprisingly silent. 

This attack comes at a time of great tension in the country over

migration issues

.

As the cities of Afghanistan fall one by one into the hands of the Taliban, the Turkish population fears having to deal with a new wave of Afghan refugees.

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To read also: Against the Afghan refugees, Turkey is building a concrete wall on its border with Iran

Fear of further violence

The more the economic situation deteriorates, the more hostility towards refugees is expressed in political statements and even on social networks.

The hashtag # JeNeVeuxPasdeRéfugiésDansMonPays regularly comes up to the top of the most shared topics on Twitter

With more than 4 million people registered, Turkey is the country in the world which receives the most asylum seekers.  

Following the violence this Thursday against Syrian and Afghan refugees, 76 people were arrested in Ankara.

Some of the Syrian residents were evacuated from the neighborhood where the attacks took place, while others remain in their homes, in fear of further violence. 

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See also: Turkey-EU migration agreement: five years later, the reform desired by Erdogan remains blocked

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