A Report Highlights the Rise of Hate Crimes and Racist Attacks in Turkey: Details

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Turkey has seen a sharp increase in racist attacks and a rise in hate crimes between January 1 and September 1, 2024, according to the Stockholm Center for Freedom and a report published by the Turkish Human Rights Foundation.

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The report noted that at least 72 verbal or physical assaults were recorded during this period, targeting what the center referred to as “vulnerable groups” such as Kurds, the LGBTQ+ community, bisexuals, transgender individuals, refugees, and ethnic minorities. These attacks resulted in the deaths of at least five people and injured 26 others.

Out of the 72 attacks, 29 targeted refugees, who have been at the center of anti-refugee sentiments in Turkey in recent years, according to “Middle East Online.”

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One of the most violent incidents occurred in July in the central Turkish province of Kayseri, where riots broke out following allegations of mistreatment of a Syrian refugee child. The unrest quickly escalated into violent attacks on Syrian homes, businesses, and vehicles. The violence spread to other cities across Turkey. According to the report, at least 3,000 Syrians were forced to flee the area, and 24 refugee-owned businesses were closed.

Following these riots, 17-year-old Syrian refugee Ahmed Handan Al-Naif was stabbed to death in a racially motivated attack in Antalya on July 3. Two of his friends were also injured in the assault, according to the report.

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According to a report by the Stockholm Center for Freedom titled “Hate Speech and Hate Crimes Against Syrian Refugees in Turkey,” refugees and minorities have become the most targeted groups by negative political rhetoric and hate speech in recent years.

In such an environment, Syrians have been at the heart of anti-refugee sentiment, especially expressed on social media and often by political parties. With inflation rising in recent years, they have been blamed for many social and economic problems in Turkey.

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The Turkish Human Rights Foundation recorded 13 attacks against Kurds. One incident occurred in Muğla on June 29, when a Kurdish family of seasonal workers was attacked by a group of 20 people after a traffic dispute.

The attackers reportedly used racial slurs and physically assaulted the family with knives and sticks. The report also mentioned that authorities were slow to respond, and the family’s complaints were not pursued.

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In a separate incident in January, a Kurdish factory worker named Levent Guner was assaulted by his colleagues in Ankara due to his ethnicity. Although the assault was documented at a hospital, police refused to acknowledge the racial nature of the attack in their report.

Such incidents are not isolated, as discriminatory rhetoric and hate speech against minorities have a long history in Turkey. Since the founding of the modern Turkish Republic, hate speech has been used in political campaigns, according to a report published by ‘The Turkish Minute’ on Tuesday.

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The same report mentions that, for example, Armenians were depicted as enemies and associated with violence, terrorism, and massacres (in the context of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan). Greeks were also targeted following rising tensions between Greece and Turkey over gas drilling and exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean. Jews have been a target of hate speech, especially after Israeli attacks on Gaza.

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