Fight erupts between Syrians, locals in Turkey’s Mersin

Hurriyet - A fight erupted between locals and Syrians in the southern province of Mersin on April 17, Doğan News Agency has reported.

The fight initially began as a dispute over money between the Syrians, who are working as farm laborers, and locals. But tension rose after crowds grew around the groups. 

The fight occurred in the Adanalıoğlu neighborhood of the Akdeniz district.

A large number of locals got involved in the fight with stones and sticks, while some witnesses said gunshot was heard during the fight. 

A Syrian wounded in the fight was taken to hospital, while the windows of a car damaged by the Syrian group were broken.

A number of police and ambulances were dispatched to the area following the incident. 

District Governor Hamdi Bilge Aktaş and Provincial Police Chief Mehmet Şahne also arrived at the area to disperse the crowd. Aktaş said some unpleasant incidents had occurred. 

Meanwhile, police tightened security measures to prevent fights erupting again between the groups, setting up barricades around the area, where Syrians, who have settled in the district after feeling from their war-torn country, mostly live in tents.   

Police also dispersed some locals who wanted to attack the tents with sticks in their hands. 
After the incident, Aktaş said the Mersin Municipality decided to evacuate Syrians from the neighborhood.

The Mersin Governor’s Office and the district governor’s office dispatched evacuation buses to remove Syrians living in the area and said they would be relocated to an empty space.