Hundreds march against Syrian refugees

KAHRAMANMARAŞ – Doğan News Agency

AA Photo

A crowd in the southern province of Kahramanmaraş marched against the presence of Syrian migrants in the city on July 13, before attacking a number of Syrians and brawling with the police.

The group of about 1,000, which organized on social media, blocked roads in the city and refused to disperse despite police warnings, chanting slogans against the Syrian refugees in the city. The group removed Arabic-language signs from a number of stores, as many store holders closed their shops in fear.

More than 1 million Syrians have fled to Turkey from the civil war in their country. Hundreds of thousands live in official camps in Turkey, while hundreds of thousands more have spread to cities across the country.

Some protesters attacked a Syrian in a car, breaking the windows of the vehicle. However, they dispersed after the police fired a gun into the air.

Another group attacked a car carrying a Syrian number plate at the city’s central Cyprus Square.
One demonstrator and one policeman were wounded in the brawl that broke out between police and the protesters, who threw stones at an anti-riot water cannon truck (TOMA). Two people were detained.

The demonstration ended after the arrival of the gendarmerie.

Following the unrest, police took additional security measures in neighborhoods where Syrians reside.

Protesters, many of whom were carrying Turkish flags and making the ultra-nationalist “grey wolf” hand gesture, claim that the migrants are committing crimes and breaking the peace in Kahramanmaraş.