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Turk Attacks Egyptian Tourist Under Pretext of Not Mastering Turkish Language
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Repeated incidents of violence against Arab tourists in Turkey indicate authorities' failure to address social tensions and protect foreign visitors
A video circulated on social media platforms provoked Arab sentiments by documenting a racist attack on an Egyptian tourist inside the Istanbul metro.
The circulated clip recorded a Turkish citizen provoking the Egyptian tourist with hostile phrases, using his lack of Turkish language proficiency as a pretext, saying: "You don't speak Turkish, why do you come here?", adding: "I will teach you Turkish my way."
The situation escalated from verbal assault to physical attack on the Egyptian tourist in front of his wife, before another Turkish passenger intervened to protect him from the attacker's punches.
Metro passengers had to force the attacker to leave the carriage following his assault on the Egyptian tourist, according to Turkish news sites.
The incident sparked a wave of outrage on social media in the Arab world, where the hashtag #Turkey_is_not_safe spread, along with calls to boycott Turkish tourism.
Turkish analysts attribute the escalation of attacks on Arab tourists to growing anti-Syrian sentiment in Turkey, where attackers justify their actions by claiming their victims are Syrian.
Incidents of attacks on Arab tourists in Turkey have recurred, including an assault on a Tunisian child months ago when the attacker thought he was Syrian.
So far, no official statements have been issued regarding the incident from the Istanbul governorate or the Egyptian embassy in Ankara.
Levant-Agencies
