Turkish authorities closed the main border crossing into northwest Syria on Monday after security forces in the area were attacked by locals enraged by the anti-Syrian refugee riots that began to sweep through Turkey earlier this week.
The violence began late Sunday evening when Turkish residents of the central city of Kayseri took to the streets in response to leaked social media reports that a Syrian man had sexually abused a seven-year-old girl.
Rioters engaged in widespread property destruction, destroying multiple vehicles and setting fire to Syrian-owned businesses.
Anti-Syrian violence has since spread across Turkey, with incidents taking place in the provinces of Hatay, Gaziantep, Konya, and Bursa, as well as in an Istanbul district, Turkey’s MIT intelligence agency said Tuesday.
Arrests and protests
At least 474 people have been arrested in connection with attacks on the Syrian population, according to Turkey’s interior ministry.
In northwest Syria, Syrian counter-protestors amassed in response, opening fire on Turkish forces stationed in the region.
Armed clashes between Syrian and Turkish soldiers resulted in the deaths of four people in the Syrian border city of Afrin.
In a statement on Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan followed up on his earlier comments by blaming his political opposition for the tension, claiming unspecified terrorist organizations were behind the violence.
“We know who is playing in these games staged by the remnants of the terrorist organization. Neither we nor our Syrian brothers will fall into this sly trap…we will not give in to racist vandalism,” Erdogan said.
