A wave of violence targeting Syrian refugees is spreading through Turkey, triggered by allegations of the sexual harassment of a child by a Syrian man in the city of Kayseri. The child, also Syrian, was related to him, according to the authorities. Since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, 3.1 million Syrians have been granted temporary protection in Turkey, according to official figures. But now there are growing public demands for them to return to Syria, fuelled by both the governing and opposition parties in Turkey.
As reports of the incident in Kayseri snowballed on social media, mobs combed the streets, attacking and burning houses, businesses, and vehicles they thought belonged to Syrians. In the past week, the violence has spread to other provinces, leading to the death of at least one Syrian.
In both Turkey and Syria, the tension rises and falls, periodically
Far-right groups on Telegram shared videos showing vigilante groups beating and torturing young Syrian men.
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