Turkish ministry orders demolition of Syrians' homes weeks after racist attack

Duvar English

Turkey's Interior Ministry has ordered the demolition of Syrians' houses in Ankara's Altındağ district, a month after they were attacked by hundreds of racists.

The buildings for which demolition orders were sent in the Battalgazi and Önder neighborhoods allegedly lack construction licenses, the daily Cumhuriyet reported on Sept. 19. 

Syrians in the said neighborhoods were subjected to a mob attack on Aug. 11 after 18-year-old Emirhan Yalçın was killed in a fight between the Syrians and locals earlier in the day. 

Hundreds of people poured to the streets to attack the homes and businesses of Syrians, as they chanted anti-Syrian and Islamist slogans. Many Syrians fled their homes over security concerns after the attack that left one child wounded. 

Adding to their trauma, the Syrians now face demolition of their houses and businesses. 

According to Cumhuriyet, the orders were sent last week on the grounds that the buildings were unlicensed and that road enlargement efforts were underway. Those living in the said buildings were given a week to evacuate them. 

Altındağ Municipality officials have said that the decision to demolish the buildings was not adopted by them, but the Interior Ministry instead. 

Anti-refugee sentiment has been running high in Turkey, which houses nearly four million Syrian refugees, most recently flaring up with the arrival of thousands of Afghans.