On the night of August 11, 2021, we witnessed lynching, looting and attacks against Syrians in the Altındağ district of Ankara instigated by the anti-migrant and anti refugee statements and disinformation that has been circulating on social media for some time.
Statement for the #LivingTogetherAgainstHate
On the night of August 11, 2021, we witnessed lynching, looting and attacks against Syrians in the Altındağ district of Ankara instigated by the anti-migrant and anti refugee statements and disinformation that has been circulating on social media for some time. After the death of Emirhan Yalçın, one of the two people injured as a result of the fight between the two groups in Ankara’s Altındağ district, mobs quickly organized, attacking the homes and shops owned by Syrians in the district, which has demonstrated how anti-refugee rhetoric incited by influential but irresponsible people can rapidly reach inevitable dimensions. With these lynching and attacks we are also seeing the extent to which the difficulties brought by the pandemic, security concerns, uncertainties caused by the economic crisis, and long-standing political and social tensions in Turkey are being used as an excuse to justify hate crimes, and exclusionary language and practices against migrants.
For the English, Arabic and Persian versions of the full statement:
English
