'Price increases are coming one after another and anger is being directed towards refugees'

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Association for Solidarity with Syrian Refugees chair Muhammed Saleh Ali thinks that the anger toward refugees increased as the economy worsens in Turkey.

The association works on issues such as the participation of refugees in decision-making processes in local governments, gender equality, and refugees' access to fundamental rights.

The president of the association in İzmir, Muhammed Saleh Ali, received the Angela Burdett-Coutts award at an award ceremony organized by the Research Centre on Asylum and Migration (İGAM) on June 21.

The İGAM Award is given to individuals and institutions that work with asylum seekers and refugees.

Ali spoke to bianet about Turkey's refugee policies and their activities as an association.

"10 years ago there was more support..."

Ali said that the people of Turkey were more supportive of them when the migration started 10 years ago.

"Today they believe that refugees are the cause of the economic crisis in Turkey. The economy in Turkey is bad, price increases are coming one after another. Some people turn their anger towards refugees, thinking that refugees are the cause of these higher prices. When bread prices increase, some people think it happened because of Syrian refugees."

"No one was expecting to stay for 10 years"

"There was a wave of migration from Syria to Turkey 10 years ago. We know that the newcomers did not prefer this, but the war forced them to do it. Back then, 10 years ago, the attitude towards refugees was positive. The people of Turkey and the government often supported refugees."

"Of course, no one expected the refugees to stay in Turkey for 10-15 years. Neither the refugees nor the Syrian opposition... After 10 years, the mindset changed. People began to think Syrian workers are competing with them and workers started to say, '4-5 million refugees are sharing our money.'"

"The government is harsher towards refugees"

Ali drew attention to racist discourses by some local governments and political parties in Turkey. He gave examples of the Bolu Municipality and Victory Party.

"Without analyzing Turkey's political situation and economy, they focused only on creating false documents and hate speech against refugees.

"The government has also toughened the rules against refugees. They expect us to migrate to another place, but the border to Europe are closed."

"Media exacerbates hate speech"

According to Ali, there are various reasons for hatred against refugees besides political discourses.

"For example, Syrians have begun to marry Turks. This creates tension and hatred in society. Apart from this, fake news, such as 'Syrians getting paid without doing anything and living in homes for free,' also harmed society.

"Additionally, when a Syrian makes a mistake, they generalize it with all Syrians. This hatred did not occur in a day or two.

"The contribution of the refugees to the economy is also not covered in the media. After the migration started, large investors entered Turkey from Syria and opened factories."

"Integration cannot happen one-sided"

The Association for Solidarity with Syrian Refugees has been operating in İzmir since 2014. Ali says they are in cooperation with local governments.

"As an association, we established relationships with the local government when we started in İzmir in 2014. A refugee council was established in Karabağlar City Council. We took part in children, disabled, youth, and women's councils. A refugee women's council was also established. Our relationships with local governments are very strong."

"Integration is not easy or one-sided. We also encourage the people of Turkey. We care about women refugees and provide sewing, cooking, and tailoring lessons. We also provide Turkish language courses."

"Being a refugee is a right, not a choice"

"Currently, the issue of refugees is on the agenda. Every party uses this rhetoric. We do not know what will happen in the elections, but we always say the same thing: Being a refugee is a right, it is never a choice. Refugees can also enrich this society. A garden is not built with a single flower, refugees can add color to this garden with their culture."

Regarding the Angela Burdett-Coutts award, Ali said, "The fact that I was deemed worthy of such an award from Turkey in Ankara gave me moral support. I have never regretted the effort I put into this issue. This award gave me more encouragement and moral support."

(MD/AS/TB)