Turkey closed a handful of border crossings into northwest Syria on Tuesday, a day after Turkish troops in Syria came under fire from Syrians protesting violence against their fellow citizens in Turkey, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and others reported.
In Turkey, police have arrested around 475 people suspected of attacks on Syrians across the country, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said, according to Reuters.
The unrest began on Sunday after reports on social media that a Syrian man had sexually abused a 7-year-old girl. Cars belonging to Syrians were set on fire in the city of Kayseri, as were shops. Angry residents called on the Syrians to leave.
A Kayseri court ordered the arrest of the alleged attacker and Yerlikaya said the incident was being investigated.
The child and his family are under the protection of our state, Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said.
The violence has spread to at least four provinces, according to Turkey's MIT intelligence agency. Images on social media showed wounded Syrians, sparking violence across the border in northwest Syria, where thousands of Turkish troops are deployed.
At least four people have been killed in exchanges of fire between Turkish troops and armed protesters in Afrin, a Syrian city near the border with Turkey.
Elsewhere in northern Syria, civilians threw stones at Turkish convoys and tore down Turkish flags.
The unrest has led Turkey to close several border crossings, including Bab al Hawa and Bab al Salam. Bab al Hawa is the main crossing point for people and trade for more than 3 million people.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blamed the chaos on groups associated with terrorist organizations.
“Neither we nor our Syrian brothers will fall into this devious trap. … We will not give in to racist vandalism,” Erdogan said.
When civil war broke out in Syria in 2011, Turkey took in millions of Syrian refugees, and at least 3.2 million remain in the country, according to UN data. Turkey has faced xenophobic violence, often sparked by rumors on social media or instant messaging apps.
Erdogan said nothing could be achieved by fueling xenophobia and hatred towards refugees in society.
Erdogan and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met last week in an attempt to restore bilateral relations after Turkey cut ties with Syria over the Syrian civil war.
