How Are Hate Speech and Fascism Rising in the Turkish Opposition?

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of Turkiye’s main opposition party, has been blaming Syrian refugees for the country’s social, economic, and political problems, in a sharp turn from his previous rhetoric of change and progress.

Kilicdaroglu, who heads the Republican People’s Party, or CHP, has been using incendiary language against the refugees, calling them “mafias, vice gangs, and drug dealers” and accusing them of taking jobs and resources from Turkish citizens.

His attacks come after his defeat in the May 2023 presidential election, in which he failed to unseat Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the leader of the Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Kilicdaroglu had formed a coalition of various parties called the Nation Alliance to challenge Erdogan’s rule. He had campaigned on a platform of democratic reform, social justice, and anti-corruption.

But after losing the first round of presidential elections, he changed his tone and adopted a nationalist and populist agenda, hoping to appeal to voters who did not support him in the first round.

He also ignored the positive contributions that refugees have made to Turkiye’s economy and society, as documented by several studies and reports.

 

Discourse Shift

Kilicdaroglu’s rhetoric has created a culture of hate and incitement against refugees, mainly Syrian refugees, who number about 3.6 million in Turkiye, according to the United Nations.

Turkiye hosts the largest number of refugees in the world, most of whom fled the civil war in neighboring Syria. The country has been praised for its generosity and hospitality by international organizations and human rights groups.

But the refugees have also faced discrimination, harassment, and violence from some segments of Turkish society, especially amid rising unemployment and inflation.

Kilicdaroglu has exploited these grievances and portrayed the refugees as a threat to Turkiye’s security and identity.

He has also accused Erdogan of using the refugees as a bargaining chip with the European Union, which has provided billions of euros in aid to Turkiye in exchange for stemming the flow of migrants to Europe.

Kilicdaroglu has demanded that Turkiye send back all Syrian refugees to their country, regardless of the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis there.

He has also opposed granting refugees citizenship or work permits, saying they should only receive temporary protection.

In an analysis by researcher Mohamed Saleh, Kilicdaroglu’s shift in political discourse reflects a moral deterioration and a loss of values, according to some analysts and critics.

They say that he has abandoned his principles and vision for a better Turkiye and resorted to scapegoating and demonizing a vulnerable group of people who have suffered unimaginable hardships.

They also say that he has betrayed his own party’s legacy of secularism and humanism and aligned himself with far-right and nationalist forces that promote hatred and intolerance.

Some of his former allies and supporters have denounced his stance and distanced themselves from him.

They have urged him to return to his original message of peaceful change and non-violence and to seek constructive solutions for the refugee issue that respect human rights and dignity.

They have also warned him that his strategy may backfire and alienate more voters than it attracts, as many Turks still value compassion and solidarity over fear and resentment.

 

Political Opportunism

In Turkiye, some opposition leaders have found a convenient scapegoat to boost their popularity and power: refugees.

They exploit the public’s fears and prejudices to rally support from their populist base, portraying refugees as a threat to the nation’s security, identity, culture, and economy.

They manipulate public sentiment and appeal to the instinct of self-preservation for political gain. Instead of acknowledging their own flaws and weaknesses, they blame their defeats on imagined enemies, painting them as the evil forces behind their downfall.

Opposition leaders fabricate daily lies about refugees, creating a dystopian vision of a country overrun by “outsiders.”

For example, Kilicdaroglu, who leads the main opposition party CHP, accuses his rival Erdogan of deliberately bringing more than 10 million refugees into the country to use their votes in elections.

He warns that if Erdogan’s coalition government remains in power, another 10 million refugees will come to Turkiye and cause chaos and violence.

He claims that cities will be under the control of refugees, mafias, and gangs and that young girls will not be able to walk the streets alone.

However, according to UN data, there are only 3.9 million refugees in Turkiye, mostly from neighboring Syria. The Turkish government estimates the number at around 4 million, including refugees from Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Kilicdaroglu does not provide any evidence to support his claim that the country hosts 10 million refugees.

Through these misleading lies, Kilicdaroglu and his allies orchestrate a symphony of hatred in the murky world of politics, where the moral compass is fading.

They skillfully play the strings of nationalism, fear, and prejudice against refugees as tools to sway voter behavior in their favor.

They hope to win in the second round of elections after suffering a bitter defeat in the first round.

The Nation Alliance, which includes Kilicdaroglu’s CHP and several conservative parties, such as the Future Party, the Felicity Party, and the Democracy and Progress Party, may have been seen by many Turks as a potential source of peaceful change.

However, these parties also seem to have succumbed to the poisonous rhetoric and abandoned their rationality and political acumen in order to gain power.

These parties should challenge and distance themselves from this shameful rhetoric to preserve their political future and regain their moral compass.

They should adopt a balanced political discourse that supports the principles on which any just society is based. They should counter the descent into darkness and foster empathy, unity, and the pursuit of a better world for all.

But the leaders of these parties, whose ideals and principles have been overshadowed by the desire for power and the mistaken belief that divisive rhetoric can strengthen their political standing, attract public attention and protect their inflated self-image and personal interests.

The moral decay of any political leader’s rhetoric due to electoral defeat is disturbing. But when it manifests itself as an attack on refugees, it becomes an abhorrent betrayal of humanity.