Opposition Parties And Their Media Spread Rumors About Syrian Refugees To Demonize Them

The website (TR99) quoted Turkish academic Dr. Bekir Ozbek, head of the Political Science Department at Medipol University in Istanbul, as saying that some Turkish opposition parties and their media have spread rumors and lies about Syrian refugees, with the aim of demonizing them and giving Turkish citizens a bad image of them.

The Turkish academic pointed out that most of the opposition media form a negative view of the Syrian refugees, and lead a systematic campaign to target them in many cities, and that the influential media in Turkey is the opposition media, despite the powerful capabilities of the Justice and Development Party government.

He explained that, unfortunately, most of the opposition media have a negative view of the Syrian refugees, stressing that it can be said that these media are leading a systematic campaign to target, marginalize, and ostracize Syrian refugees in society and incite citizens against them, despite the fact that the reality is completely different, which is always trying Explain it to the government media community.

He noted that when we compare the media that try to spread positive information and defend the Syrian refugees, and the media that incite and spread hatred and enmity, we will find that the second is stronger and more widespread, and the reason, in his opinion, is that the media in Turkey has always been like this and it is difficult to change it overnight.

He indicated that many positive matters and decisions against Syrian refugees in Turkey took place despite this systematic negative media led by opposition parties, explaining that life in reality and outside social media is different from what is portrayed and rumored about Syrian refugees and broadcast in many media.

Ismael Çatakli, Deputy Minister of the Interior of Turkey, blamed the leader of the “Zefar” party, Ümit Özdağ, for the stabbing of four Syrian youths, two of whom were in serious condition, by Turkish youths in Bolu state.

Chatakli said on his Twitter account: “You are not a human being, and because of your lies, yesterday four innocent people who were sitting in a park in the city of Bolu were stabbed with knives, and one of them was also beaten. You will not find comfort in this world or the next.”

And the municipality of the Greater Bursa State had previously issued a harsh response to the allegations of the Turkish Zafar party, which is hostile to Syrian refugees, in which it claimed that the Bursa municipality organized a trip for Syrian youth to Istanbul, according to the KozalNet website.

And Turkish media sites have previously said that the Turkish Ministry of Interior has filed a criminal complaint against the leader of the Turkish “Zefar” party, Ümit Özdağ, because of his “racist” statements against refugees, especially Syrians, through social media.

Anadolu Agency reported that Ümit Özdağ exceeded the limits of freedom of the press and expression through his anti-refugee statements, noting that the Turkish opposition’s statements lead the people to xenophobia and provocation, and contradict the requirements of a democratic society, and endanger public peace, public order and public security.

Sham Network