President Erdogan blames opposition for xenophobic rhetoric over Kayseri incidents
Turkish President and Leader of the Justice and Development (AK) Party, Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends AK Party Local Administrations Consultation and Assessment Meeting, Ankara, July 01, 2024. (AA Photo)
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed the recent unrest in Kayseri during his speech at the AK Party’s Local Governments Consultation and Evaluation Meeting in Kizilcahamam. The incident, which occurred Sunday night, involved a Syrian man who allegedly molested a girl related to him, sparking tensions in the area.
Erdogan stated, “What a small group of people did yesterday in Kayseri is the result of the poisonous discourse of the opposition. It is unacceptable to commit vandalism and set fire to the streets, no matter who they are.”
Criticizing the opposition, Erdogan remarked, “We see resorting to politics of hate for the sake of political gains as impotence. Fueling xenophobia and hatred of asylum-seekers in society will lead nowhere. What a small group of people did yesterday in Kayseri is the result of the opposition’s poisonous rhetoric. It is unacceptable to commit vandalism and set fire to the streets, no matter who they are.”
In Kayseri’s Melikgazi district, the allegation that a Syrian national had molested a 5-year-old child caused an uproar and incidents took place throughout the night.
Residents of Danismentgazi neighborhood overturned vehicles and set some workplaces on fire. Ten police officers were injured while intervening the crowd.
