474 arrests announced the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoganabout the widespread attacks by Turkish nationalist mobs against Syrian refugees across the country. The same timeTurkish media is reporting that Turkish reinforcements are being pushed into areas of northern Syriawhere riots broke out against the presence of Turkish forces that have controlled the area since 2016.
The successive attacks against the Syrians began on Sunday evening, June 30, in the center of Caesarea Peruafter information or rumors circulated in the city that a Syrian refugee had attempted to sexually assault a 7-year-old girl, to whom he was allegedly related. The spread of the claim on social media turned into attacks and arsons against migrants’ workplaces and vehicles in the city, and the attacks quickly spread to at least 10 Turkish cities.
Vandalism
According to images, videos and posts on social media, during the night, companies and vehicles belonging to migrants were vandalized in Alexandretta, Bursa, Kilis, Iconium, Urfa, Adana, Gaziantep, Izmir, Antalya and Istanbul, while demonstrations with racist characteristics against immigrants were organized.
At the same time, in the areas of Al Bab, Azez, Al Rai, Idlib, Afrin and other areas of northern Syria where they are controlled by the Turkish army and the Syrian National Army of the Syrian opposition riots broke out against the presence of Turkish forces. Armed protesters attacked trucks with Turkish license plates and two branches of the Turkish Post (PTT). They also removed Turkish flags from flagpoles, burning or destroying them, while demanding that only the Syrian flag used by the opposition and the Syrian National Army be used. Following this development, attacks against Syrians in Turkey increased.
Turkish military reinforcements are being pushed into northern Syria
Turkish media reported that Turkish army and police reinforcements are being pushed into northern Syriawhile the borders between the two countries remain closed.
Recent indications of a potential “imminent rapprochement” between Ankara and Assad in Damascus are seen as “one of the reasons for the attacks against the Turkish presence in the region”, as several members of Syrian opposition organisations and Syrian National Army men feel that Ankara is abandoning them in order to re-establish relations with Damascus and the Assad regime. Ankara’s need to reach out to Bashar al-Assad’s regime stems from its desire to eliminate the US-backed and regionally dominant Kurdish militia Syrian Democratic Forces and the Kurdish PYD faction from northern Syria, which the Turkish government accuses of being an offshoot of the PKK organisation that operates against Turkey.
Erdogan speaks of “plans for chaos”.
Speaking after the Council of Ministers meeting on Tuesday, Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke of “provocations” and a “plan for chaos” being mounted in Caesarea. “We are a country that has become immune to the chaos schemes” of agents and provocateursthe Turkish president said, referring to similar dark plans in the past and stating that now “the same plan of chaos has been established through an extremely disgusting and shameful case of sexual abuse in Caesarea.”
He further stated that the second act of this project was against Turkish interests and the Turkish presence in northern Syria. “God willing, neither we, nor our nation, nor our Syrian brothers will fall into this treacherous trap. I would like to emphasize here again that we will not bow down to hate speech, fascism, racist vandalism and provocations. We know how to break the hands of those who turn against the oppressed who find refuge in our country, just as we know how to break the dirty hands that reach out to our flag,” he added.
The Turkish president also stressed that no one can replace the police, judges and the state in the country.
He announced that after the events in Caesarea “474 perpetrators were arrested”, while Turkish intelligence services are carrying out intensive work in relation to the incidents.
At the same time, he stressed that “the Syrian National Army forces and our Turkish security forces jointly intervened in the incidents in northern Syria, while the interim government declared by the Syrian opposition publicly stated that it condemns in the strongest terms the attacks on our glorious flag. The attempt at betrayal has failed once again.”
Recep Tayyip Erdogan also argued thatTurkey has no ambitions for anyone’s territory and sovereignty. “Protecting the territorial integrity and national unity of Syria is a priority for Turkey,” he stressed and underlined that “we want to see a democratic, prosperous and strong Syria. We would like to see Syria become a safe place for the millions of people who have been forced to flee their homes.”
Finally, in an attempt to dispel accusations from opposition circles over the gathering of a large number of Syrian refugees in the country, Tayyip Erdogan said: “We have always encouraged the voluntary, safe and dignified return of our Syrian brothers. 670,000 people have returned to northern Syria, which we liberated from terrorism. Another 1 million will be added to that number. We will be happy if we can create an atmosphere so that everyone can return to their homeland voluntarily and peacefully.”
Source: AMPE