The owner of a small store in Cinar in Turkey's Denizli province put up a sign saying that migrants from Syria, Iran and Afghanistan were banned from his shop and would be beaten otherwise. A photo of the controversial sign was uploaded online by a Syrian migrant and surfaced in local media.
"Those arriving from Syria, Iran, Afghanistan are banned from entering and shopping in this store. In case you still do — you will be beaten," the sign read.
Denizli'de bir tostçu ırkçı afiş astı: İran, Suriye, Afgan müşteri bu dükkâna giremez, alışveriş yapamaz, girerse dayak yer https://t.co/gDcP6PiZLA
— Evrensel Gazetesi (@evrenselgzt) October 15, 2018
According to the local media outlet Evrensel, police arrested the store's owner after information about the sign became public. He is reportedly facing charges of instigating violence and incitement of ethnic hatred. The sign has been removed.
Previously, another city in the same Turkish province, Kale, was engulfed by protests after one Turkish and six Syrian men were charged with sexual abuse of a 14-year-old girl. Residents of Kale gathered in front of the city's courthouse and attempted to attack the Syrian suspects. At least 30 Syrian families were moved out of Denizli province, as many Syrians were attacked by protesters across the city.
READ MORE: Italian Minister Accuses Turkey of Not Fulfilling Migrant Deal Despite EU Money
Since the start of the civil war in Syria and the rise of the terrorist group Daesh* in the Middle East, vast numbers of refugees have fled to EU countries and Turkey. The latter alone has taken in roughly 3.5 million refugees. The EU struck a deal with Ankara in 2015 to stop the influx of migrants from the Middle East coming via Turkey. In exchange, Brussels provided financial support to Turkey and promised to intensify talks on its admission to the EU.
*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist organization banned in Russia
