Turkish prez accuses opposition of fueling racism amid anti-Syrian riot

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused opposition parties of stoking xenophobia and racism on Monday, a day after residents in a neighbourhood in central Turkiye set Syrian-owned shops on fire.

The rioting erupted in the Melikgazi region of central Kayseri province late on Sunday, following reports that a Syrian refugee there had allegedly sexually harassed a 7-year-old Syrian girl. Outraged residents overturned cars and set shops ablaze, calling on Syrians to leave.

At least 67 people suspected of involvement in the violence were detained, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on the social media platform X.

In a televised address on Monday, Erdogan accused opposition parties, which have advocated for the repatriation of refugees, of inciting violence.

Nothing can be achieved by fuelling xenophobia and hatred of refugees in society, Erdogan said and accused the opposition of poisonous discourse.

When neighbouring Syria's civil war broke out in 2011, Turkiye received hundre