Syrian homes, businesses torched after Turkish boy killed in southwest Turkey

Syrian homes, businesses torched after Turkish boy killed in southwest Turkey
Angry Turkish locals attacked homes and shops belonging to Syrian refugees in a southwestern Turkish city on Thursday after a Turkish teenager was stabbed to death
2 min read
02 October, 2021
Attacks are on the rise against Syrians in Turkey [Getty]

Several homes and shops of Syrian refugees were attacked in southwestern Turkey earlier this week after a local teenager was stabbed to death by a member of the community.

Local newspaper Sozcu reported Friday that around 150 Turkish citizens in Torbali, in the Izmir province, burned homes and businesses belonging to Syrians after 17-year-old Batuhan Parlak was killed in the same area by 20-year-old Muhammad Ali Arab just past midnight on 30 September.

Firefighters and police were dispatched to the area to quell the violence.

An altercation broke out between Muhammad Arab and three Turkish boys as he was on his way home, which turned physical and resulted in Parlak being stabbed several times in the chest, according to local sources. The three Turks were allegedly intoxicated.

The sources added that Arab was also stabbed in his left hand and was later arrested by police. Unconfirmed reports say he also succumbed to his wounds on Friday.

Turkish interior minister Suleyman Soylu had previously said that crimes committed by Syrian nationals decreased from 2.8 percent in 2013 to 0.8 percent in 2018, while crimes committed by Turkish citizens stand at 1.9 percent.

Tensions have spiked in recent months across several major Turkish cities between locals and Syrian residents, as refugees have seen an increase in violent attacks against them and their homes and businesses.

Polls have shown anti-migrant sentiment on the rise in the country.

Turkey has become home to 3.6 million Syrians under a deal struck with the European Union in 2016 to help avert the continent's migrant crisis.

The sides are currently working on updating the terms.

Turkey's main opposition party last month vowed to send Syrians "back home" if it comes to power in a general election scheduled for 2023.

Analysts link some of the resentment to the economic instability that accelerated in Turkey with the coronavirus pandemic.