The mayor of Bolu city considers the Syrians a threat and approves laws to restrict them

Some Turkish political parties have been encouraging feelings of racism over the past years, using this as a trump card in order to achieve political gains and win more votes in the upcoming Turkish presidential and parliamentary elections. The Syrians have become in these disputes as fuel for a political war between the competing parties. Note that the Turkish street is affected by the stances of Turkish politicians on a large scale.

The mayor of the Turkish city of Bolu, who is from the Republican People’s Party, Tango Ozcan, presented proposals that Syrians consider to be a clear targeting of them with the aim of restricting them, especially after he publicly called for their deportation, saying: “Their hospitality took a long

time… so let them go… How long will Turkey bear the burden of the Syrians?” .

During a discussion of the revenues of his municipal budget for next year, Özcan presented a proposal to raise the marriage fee, as the marriage fee for foreigners in Bolu would amount to 100,000 Turkish liras, claiming, during a press conference held on Wednesday, that the goal is to “protect the family.”

He said during the press conference: “Two foreign nationals should not marry in Bolu, and they are not allowed in this way to settle in the city and have children. We suggest this so that neither Syrians nor Iraqis can marry here. We want them to go back to their countries, so we propose these decisions.” He also indicated that he would present his proposals to the relevant committee for approval and implementation.