-Analysis-
BEIRUT — Unrest broke out in the central Turkish province of Kayseri earlier this month, following reports that a Syrian refugee had sexually harassed a child. Outraged, the local population took to the streets, overturning vehicles, setting Syrian shops on fire and calling for the refugees’ expulsion.
For the latest news & views from every corner of the world, Worldcrunch Today is the only truly international newsletter. Sign up here.
Such scenes of violence against Syrians and Arabs are no longer shocking in Turkey. They are a sad development that mirrors the rise of fascism and populism in the country — just like in other parts of the world. This rise is driven by political division and polarization, but also by people’s disappointment with politicians, which widens the gap between political rivals and their supporters, shrinking the space for humanity.
This is not uncommon in periods of transition.
After the COVID-19 pandemic, signs of returning to normal life are still wavering and ambiguous. No one knows whether we have returned to the world of before, or moved to another world. Wars broke out. Economic conditions worsened. People feel suffocated. Rare international political alliances emerged. Politics shifted from left to right.
Almost every news item is announced with the phrase “for the first time in history.”
Populist dynamics
Beyond targeting Syrian refugees, the scenes of violence revealed something else. This worrying development in Turkish society is not only harming refugees, but dividing Turkish people, who feel threatened in their home country. Racism does not stop at specific cases, it grows and grows.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who wanted to play a pivotal regional role in the Syrian crisis, accused opposition parties of inciting violence against the refugees through their calls for Syrians to return to their country. His accusations were expected. As racism and hatred grow among the people, each party tries to use such situations to secure seats in parliament.
The violence in Kayseri is stark evidence of how political dynamics can lead to dehumanization.
The current political landscape in Turkey is increasingly marked by a rising tide of nationalism. Traditionally, analyses of Turkish politics have focused on divisions between political Islam and secularism, liberals and conservatives. Yet perhaps the most prevalent and unifying ideology today is nationalism and populism. And that is exacerbated by economic challenges and political discourse.
Extreme forms of nationalism often overlap with authoritarianism and fascism. These ideologies typically advocate racial purity or the concept of a master race, alongside various forms of racism and discrimination against marginalized groups, like ethnic minorities and migrants.
This has been evident in Turkey with the mounting hostility toward Syrian refugees, who have increasingly become scapegoats for the country’s economic and social problems. The violence in Kayseri is stark evidence of how political dynamics can lead to dehumanization.
After months of silence, the issue of Syrians in Turkey has resurfaced, dominating the political and media discourse. Forced deportation campaigns, crackdowns, and attacks have begun amidst governmental failures and inhumane complicity. pic.twitter.com/Bajs0EaObm
— Samer Daboul (@samerdaboul6) June 30, 2024
A global trend
The rising populist nationalism is not limited to Turkey; it is also seen in other parts of the world, most notably France and the United States.
In France, the recent electoral success of right-wing parties reflects a shift toward more nationalist and anti-immigrant policies. Right-wing rhetoric in France, just as in Turkey, has increasingly portrayed migrants as a threat to national security and cultural identity.
In the United States, Make America Great Again supporters are eagerly awaiting former President Donald Trump, known for his nationalist and anti-migrants stance, to return to the White House to reinforce his policies. Trump’s latest debate against aging incumbent President Joe Biden raised the former president’s chances of winning the November election.
Trump’s potential reelection would inevitably further entrench these nationalist, anti-migrants ideologies. The U.S. has already seen a rise in xenophobic rhetoric and policies, especially against migrants and refugees.
The rise of nationalist and populist policies has become a trend across the world, despite warnings. Fascism and populism, I regret to say, are gaining a foothold everywhere.
Syrians in Turkey have taken to social media recently to complain about an escalating crackdown campaign that included forced deportation and violent attacks on Syrian communities after a Syrian sexually harassed a Turkish child. The campaign took on a racist trend. Many Syrians said they have been attacked in the streets and urged their fellow Syrians to stay inside their homes. “I was walking in the street, and when I told them I am a Syrian, they started beating me,” said a bleeding Syrian man in a video on X platform.
