The events that broke out in Kayseri following allegations that a Syrian immigrant molested a young child revealed once again that the asylum seeker and refugee problem in Turkey has become a growing danger.
As a result of the incidents in which Syrians' homes, workplaces and cars were targeted, the streets of Kayseri turned into a war zone, making the government's wrong immigration policy a topic of discussion again.
An urgent solution is expected for the refugee and asylum seeker problem, which has become a social danger in every aspect.
The government's wrong immigration policy came to the fore again with the social events against Syrians in Kayseri.
Following allegations that a Syrian immigrant had molested a young child, Kayseri residents took to the streets and targeted workplaces, houses and cars belonging to Syrians.
While the events that took place last night turned the streets of Kayseri into a war zone, they also revealed the results of the government's wrong policies regarding refugees and asylum seekers for years.
In Turkey, where the economic crisis, social tension and polarization are becoming increasingly widespread, racist statements made by certain interest groups have put refugees on the target board.
It is estimated that the number of foreign nationals living in Turkey exceeds 11 million due to refugees entering our country illegally, people escaping from wars coming to our country and citizenship being sold for money.
Against all this, the refugee and asylum seeker problem, which has become a social danger for Turkey in every aspect after the events in Kayseri, needs to be resolved urgently.
KAYSERİ STREETS TURNED INTO A WARFIELD
Allegations that a Syrian national harassed a young child in Kayseri caused great violence in the city. Following allegations of harassment, citizens took to the streets in Melikgazi district of Kayseri and targeted workplaces, houses and cars belonging to Syrians.
While 14 police officers and 1 firefighter were injured in the events in the city, the streets turned into a war zone. Many officials from Kayseri Governorship and Kayseri Provincial Police Department stepped in to calm the angry crowd.
Kayseri Governorship made a statement regarding the events and announced that a Syrian national was detained and the abused child and his family were taken under protection.
The fact that what happened in Kayseri became a trending topic on social media revealed how dangerous the asylum seeker and refugee problem in Turkey has become.
IT IS ESTIMATED THAT THE NUMBER OF FOREIGN NATIONALS EXCEEDS 11 MILLION
With the civil war that broke out in Syria in 2011, Turkey's refugee and asylum seeker problem began. In a short time, millions of Syrians escaping from the war took refuge in our country.
The Syrian refugee issue, which the government has not been able to handle correctly from the very beginning, has become a multifaceted problem over the years. On the other hand, millions of refugees, especially Afghan nationals, entered our country illegally.
With the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, hundreds of thousands of Russians and Ukrainians who fled the war came to Turkey.
While all this was happening, with the government selling citizenship, people from Asian countries, Iran and many Arab countries began to live in Turkey.
With all this, it is estimated that the number of foreign nationals living in our country exceeds 11 million.
SOCIAL DANGER: REFUGEES AND ASYLUM SEEKERS
In addition to the wrong asylum and refugee policy followed by the government, our social structure has evolved greatly as Turkey has become a center of attraction for foreigners.
Citizens, who saw the number of asylum seekers and refugees increasing, began to see asylum seekers and refugees as the cause of many problems such as economic crisis, social tension and polarization.
The problem turned into a mess with the racist propaganda launched by certain interest groups against asylum seekers and refugees. It is necessary to take precautions as soon as possible regarding the refugee and asylum seeker issue, which has become a growing social danger in Turkey.
It is expected that policies will be developed to ensure that Syrians return to their country while preserving their dignity, and that asylum seekers who enter the country illegally will be deported in accordance with the procedure.