Lynching of migrants in southern Turkey triggered by ‘unease’, says local journalist



Jul 03 2022 

Friday's attacks against undocumented migrants who escaped from a holding facility in Turkey’s southern Osmaniye province were triggered by locals feeling uneasy, owner of local Osmaniye Newspaper İsmail Karadağ said.

“Shots were fired by security forces to scare people off,” daily BirGün cited Karadağ as saying.

According to Karadağ, a group of mostly Afgan nationals were brought to Osmaniye by authorities to be housed in the migrant centre in the province close to the Syrian border two weeks ago. Most of the migrants were undocumented and had entered the country illegally, he said.

“They petitioned to have permits to leave the centre for the day, but were refused. They then staged a hunger strike and protested by banging on pots and pans at night. Some escaped by jumping over the fence, and hid in corn fields,” Karadağ said.

Some migrants entered locals’ homes to hide, which was the main source of the unrest, the local journalist said.

On Friday videos were posted on social media showing locals chasing migrants on the streets. In some videos, there were migrants with blood on their faces and bodies. In others, gunshots were seen and heard, and several people were beaten.

A total of 35 foreigners jumped the fence, and the local gendarmerie captured 24 of them, the Osmaniye governor’s office said in a statement later on Friday night.

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Osmaniye deputy Baha Ünlü said the total number was 55, with another 20 people escaping earlier in the day. Ünlü said all 55 migrants had been caught.

In photos reportedly taken in the province, a Turkish man is seen wearing what looks like a uniform that says “Refugee Hunter” on the back, accompanied by racist imagery.

“There is great anger against refugees who fled the camp in Osmaniye and disrupted the peace for our citizens,” right-wing anti-immigrant Victory Party said in a tweet. “Direct your anger to the ballot in 2023 elections and there will be no refugees or illegals left in Turkey.”

The Victory Party is led by Ümit Özdağ, who left the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) to join the more moderate Good Party (İYİP) as a founding member. Özdağ later left the İYİP to establish his own party, which has focused on an anti-immigrant and anti-refugee platform.

“Attacks by foreigners will increase. These attacks aim to terrorise the Turkish people and take control of the streets,” Özdağ said in a recent tweet targeting migrants and refugees in the country.