Syrians’ apartment set ablaze in İstanbul after fight with locals

An apartment, in which Syrian refugees are living, was set on fire after a fight broke out between locals and a group of Syrians in the Bashakshehir district of İstanbul on Saturday, Today’s Zaman reports.

A fight erupted between the two groups on Saturday night with bats and stones on a main street in the area and an apartment in a building inhabited by a group of Syrians was set ablaze. The Dogan news agency reported that members of both groups suffered injuries during the clash. Firefighters arriving at the scene contained the fire, but the first floor of the building was badly damaged.

There were reportedly no residents inside the building at the time of the fire. The incident took place in the Guvercintepe neighborhood, where many Syrian refugees are living.

A large number of riot police officers, as well as water cannons, were dispatched to the neighborhood. Security measures taken by the police are still underway.

In a separate incident, police detained five Syrian Kurds who staged a demonstration in the Taksim neighborhood.

The Syrians were reportedly protesting against the death of Farinaz Khosravani, an Iranian woman who jumped off the fourth floor of a hotel in Iran to escape being raped.