Anti-refugee riots erupt in Turkey after Syrian man arrested for sexually harassing 7-year-old

After anti-refugee riots erupted in central Turkey over the weekend, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan released a televised statement on Monday, blaming his political opposition for the violence by spreading anti-Syrian rhetoric and fomenting racism.  

Following the public release of details about a case involving a Syrian refugee sexually harassing a seven-year-old Turkish girl, residents of the Melikgazi region of central Kayseri reportedly took to the streets in anger late Sunday evening. 

Turkey's interior ministry said in a statement that the mob set fire to Syrian-owned businesses, overturned cars, and demanded the expulsion of refugees, with police detaining 67 people suspected of involvement in the riot. 

Authorities report that they have since arrested the perpetrator and placed the girl and her family under protective state care.

Erdogan condemns "xenophobia" 

“Nothing can be achieved by fueling xenophobia and hatred of refugees in society,” Erdogan said during Monday’s address. "One of the reasons for the tragic event that was caused by a small group in Kayseri yesterday is the poisonous discourse of the opposition.”  

Nominally, Erdogan’s conservative, pro-Islamist AK Party has presented itself as a refugee-friendly party and has accused the opposition of racism.  

The president’s biggest rival, Ekrem Imamoglu, leader of the secular CHP and mayor of Istanbul, has harshly criticized the administration’s immigration policy, accusing Erdogan of using refugees as political pawns and has issued calls for mass deportation.  

While the CHP's base is largely made up of pro-democracy, liberal voters, the party’s anti-refugee platform led it to form a coalition with certain right-wing ultranationalist parties.  

Turkish officials say there are 3.6 million Syrian refugees residing in the country; however, unofficial figures put the number much higher.