An isolated criminal incident in central Türkiye’s Kayseri escalated into provocative riots across Türkiye over the past two days. At a time of anticipated normalization between Ankara and the Assad regime of Syria, angry mobs torched houses, cars and businesses of Syrian nationals in Kayseri over an alleged sexual assault of a girl by a Syrian refugee.

Meanwhile in Syria, a group of demonstrators burned Turkish trucks and tore apart Turkish flags in areas controlled by the Syrian opposition.

Turkish authorities seek to contain the incidents President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan blamed on provocation by certain opposition parties, namely the far-right Victory Party (ZP), which has been at the forefront of anti-Syrian sentiment in the country since it was founded in 2021.

In Kayseri, police had to intervene again when mobs took to the streets for the second time in two days on Monday evening. Crowds hurled stones at houses and businesses of Syrians and set some vehicles on fire. Police rounded up more than 300 suspects involved in the riots. A bedridden woman trapped in a burning residence was rescued by police. Police managed to stop the riots in the late hours of Monday after firing tear gas and water cannons on rioters. Security forces patrolled the streets in the aftermath to prevent another riot.

After Kayseri, similar riots broke out in cities from Antalya to Gaziantep though they were smaller in scale. The riots escalated due to attacks on the Turkish flag in Syria. Like in Kayseri, rioters targeted Syrian residences and businesses. Videos circulating on social media showed crowds beating Syrians or people they thought to be Syrian refugees on the street.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said in a social media post on Tuesday that 474 people were detained following the nationwide provocative acts. He underlined that 285 among them had criminal records, from migrant smuggling to inflicting injury, drug-related crimes, theft, sexual harassment, fraud and threat. Yerlikaya urged the public not to fall for provocation and resort to illegal ways. "Our state is strong and those plotting against our state and nation will duly receive the response they deserve," he said.

Erdoğan on Monday condemned the "vandalism" and "poisonous rhetoric" of the opposition as "one of the reasons" for the violent riots in Kayseri.

"We get nowhere by stoking xenophobia and anti-refugee hatred among the public," Erdoğan said at an assembly of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in Ankara.

Social media platform X was awash with extremist users calling for the expulsion of Syrian refugees in Türkiye, a sentiment that has been fueled by opposition politicians since last year.

Türkiye is home to at least 3.6 million Syrian refugees who fled the civil war in 2012, most of whom are under temporary protection status.

Growing far-right anti-refugee sentiments have increased the risk of violence against immigrants in Türkiye in recent years, where many refugees have been subjected to attacks in various towns across the country upon rumors they were involved in cases of rape or murders against the local population.

Commenting on the matter, Defense Minister Yaşar Güler said on Tuesday that they were closely following up on recent attempts meant to create a negative perception of Syrian refugees and relevant tensions. "Attempts to disrupt public order by anti-Turkish elements will fail thanks to efforts of all parts of the state," he said.

Riots in Syria

Some media outlets reported that seven were killed when armed rioters clashed with Turkish forces in Syria’s northwest in areas controlled by the Syrian opposition, though those reports are unconfirmed. Earlier on Monday, hundreds of people staged anti-Turkish rallies. Videos circulating on social media showed trucks bearing Turkish signs and license plates being set on fire, while a group of rioters tore down Turkish flags and attempted to take down a flag on a pole. Riots were reported in Afrin and Jarablus as well as in Azez and al-Bab, Syria.

The Syrian opposition army denounced the incidents and shared videos on social media showing them raising Turkish flags with a message of unity. The Syrian National Army of the opposition also deployed troops to offices of local administrations as a security measure following the riots.

Turkish security sources said Tuesday that the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) and the Interior Ministry were coordinating the response to riots both in Türkiye and Syria’s north. Sources said provocateurs were behind incidents targeting Syrians in Türkiye. Sources said those involved in attacks targeting the Republic of Türkiye and provocative acts to spoil Turkish foreign policy were captured and are now subject to legal proceedings.

Fahim Issa, Second Corps commander of the Syrian opposition army and a prominent military figure urged calm over riots in Syria, said: "We should not respond to a mistake by making another mistake." He called upon fellow Syrians not to fall for the plot of provocateurs "attacking our Turkish brothers on duty in liberated areas, as well as private property. They are fueling strife. We should respect the Turkish flag. Just as the flag of our revolution is sacred to us, the Turkish flag is sacred both for us and Türkiye. We call on our people to act consciously and stay away from attempts to push liberated territories into uncertainty."

Abul Iz, commander of the Shamiya Front, said people of Türkiye who sided with the people of Syria in their struggle "should not be mistaken for a bunch of racists." He urged people to act cautiously and highlighted the importance of maintaining "civic peace." "We strongly condemn any act of sabotage, attacks against people and properties," he said.

Speaking to Daily Sabah on Tuesday, Abdurrahman Mustafa, prime minister of the Syrian Interim Government, said worrying incidents in Türkiye and Syria were the work of the same circles seeking to incite provocation. "Syrian refugees in Türkiye are under temporary protection status and Türkiye is a state of law. In such isolated incidents, those involved are punished and deported. Turning this into a collective action (against refugees) is worrying. We sense this is something planned in advance.

"Inciting chaos based on such incidents is an illegal move. I don’t believe any person supporting the stability of his country would resort to such actions," he stated.

Mustafa said laws were in place in Türkiye and areas governed by the Syrian Interim Government in Syria. He noted that it was important to see who benefits from such incidents, to see those who are "provocateurs." He said he did not expect the riots to grow and noted that they have the situation under control in Syria. "(Authorities) know who is behind the incidents," he said.

Mustafa said some circles were seeking to create strife between the people of Türkiye and the people of Syria amid recent developments, such as plans to hold elections by the PKK/YPG and the ongoing situation in the wider Middle East.

On a question if those riots would affect the expected normalization between Türkiye and the Assad regime, Mustafa said it was wrong to link the two situations. He noted that a solution to the situation in Syria mired with civil war, based on U.N. Security Council Article 2254 calling for a cease-fire and political settlement in the country, would already facilitate the return of refugees in Türkiye if it succeeds. Mustafa reiterated suspicions that riots would be an "operation" in the Middle East, highlighting that the regime may provoke those riots to disrupt stability in the region controlled by his interim government.