The devastating earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria has sparked some Turks’ resentment towards the millions of Syrian refugees in the country, whom some hold without evidence responsible for the looting amid the destruction and chaos.
A number of Turks in quake-hit towns and cities accused Syrians of robbing dilapidated shops and homes. On Twitter, anti-Syrian slogans such as “We don’t want Syrians”, “Migrants must be deported” and “You are no longer welcome” were circulated.“.
- Syrians made homeless by the earthquake said they had been expelled from emergency camps. A Syrian opened a shelter in Mersin for his compatriots only after they faced racist insults.
- “We stopped going to the rescue sites to monitor the situation because people started shouting at us and pushing us when they heard us speaking Arabic… People accuse us of looting all the time, but this is only to create discord,” said a Syrian who asked not to be named.“.
- Hundreds of thousands of people were left homeless, waiting for days in some areas for food and access to makeshift shelters. Residents and aid workers reported looting, and a number of foreign relief teams stopped working for a short time due to the deteriorating security situation..
On Sunday, the Turkish Minister of Justice announced the arrest of 48 people on charges of looting, without specifying their nationalities. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to deal firmly with the thieves.
Resentment against Syrians is nothing new, but the earthquake exacerbated tensions
- “Syrians are walking around carrying their empty bags and packing them from the shops,” said a dentist named Ahmed, as he sat in front of the ruins of what used to be his clinic. A lot of looting happened here.“.
- One Twitter user posted a picture of a wooden-facade villa on his account with the caption, “Earthquake survivors are invited to stay at my house in Ankara for a year, provided they are not Syrians.” Other offers of assistance or temporary housing were posted under the same condition.
- Former Syrian opposition politician Mustafa Ali runs a temporary shelter in Mersin for about 250 Syrians, and says he has agreed with the local authorities to remove them from Turkish homeless shelters..
- He said that there is a difference between the Syrians and the Turks in culture, in the way of life, and in the language, and that “this separation may solve many of these problems“.
He added that at first, many shelters did not ask people if they were Turks or foreigners, but the next day some troubles and racist comments began to appear..
Bilal al-Sheikh, 35, was among those staying in the shelter run by Ali, who fled Iskenderun with his three children after the roof of their house collapsed..
He recounted that he stayed in a shelter with some people for a day or two, until some people came while the children were sleeping at night and asked them to go to another shelter..
- Some Syrians living without official papers in Turkey who were displaced by the earthquake said they were afraid to approach the authorities for help, for fear of being deported..
- Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said today, Monday, “The allegations of a new influx of refugees from Syria to Turkey (after the earthquake) are not true. We will not allow this, it is out of the question.”“.
- Abdullah al-Tayyar, 22, a Syrian refugee who fled Idlib and was displaced from his home in Marash, said that his requests for a tent were rejected, so he lives in a mosque..
He added that some people say that the earthquake is the fault of the Syrians and that this “racism existed before as well”, but now it is worse and it is painful.