Mobs attack Syrian refugees in Turkey with fists and knives | World news

Over the past two days, angry groups of men in half a dozen Turkish cities have turned against the Syrian refugees living among them, damaging their shops and cars and attacking them with fists and knives.

Across the border, in Turkish-controlled parts of northern Syria, Syrians have confronted the Turkish soldiers in their midst, throwing stones at their vehicles, tearing down Turkish flags and condemning them in street protests.

The isolated acts of violence, which have left at least seven people dead, according to a war monitor in Syria, have exposed growing cracks in the coexistence between Syrians and Turks on both sides of their shared border. After years of largely peaceful relations, recent political changes and increasing economic hardship have brought tensions to the surface.

Many Turks are growing resentful of the 3.1 million Syrian refugees in their country, accusing them, with or without evidence, of exacerbating Turkey’s economic problems, which include low wages and persistent inflation that topped 75 percent in May.

And many Syrians who oppose the government of President Bashar al-Assad no longer see Turkey as their greatest protector, but fear it will abandon them. Support for the idea of ​​sending Syrian refugees home is widespread across the Turkish political spectrum.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who broke off relations with Syria in 2011 and supported rebels in their bid to overthrow Assad, said last week he would not rule out meeting with his former enemy to try to restore relations.

This week’s unrest was sparked by allegations on Sunday that a Syrian man sexually assaulted his seven-year-old cousin in a public toilet in Kayseri, a city in central Turkey. The man was arrested and the girl, her mother and siblings were placed under state protection while police investigated, Turkish authorities said.

That night, angry men attacked Syrian cars, shops and homes in Kayseri, setting some of them on fire, according to footage posted on social media and broadcast by Turkish television channels.

Similar attacks took place in half a dozen other cities on Monday, including Hatay, Konya and Istanbul, with men carrying batons marching through neighborhoods where Syrians live and throwing stones at their buildings.

On Tuesday, Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya wrote on social media that security forces had arrested 474 people in connection with the violence.