The pre-electoral ambience and the severe economic crisis that has hit Turkey these past months have revived the xenophobic rhetoric against the country’s four million refugees, writes Lara Villalón.
The pre-electoral atmosphere and the severe economic crisis that has hit Turkey these past months have revived the xenophobic rhetoric against the country’s four million refugees. The Turkish president is proposing the voluntary return of a million of these to the area in northern Syria controlled by Ankara. A few months ago, a Turkish MP burst into a jewellery store on the Aegean coast with a video camera to interview the owner. He demanded to see his ID, his shopkeeper’s licence and (.)