Category Archives: News Digest

HarekAct offers a topical and chronological collection of news on the EU-Turkish border regime under this section. We link to external newspapers and websites and do not hold the copyright.
Views and opinions expressed in the articles published on HarekAct are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of all editorial board members.

News Digest

Vatandaşlık ve linç arasında – Between citizenship and lynching

The German-Turkish newspaper taz gazete on the public discourse on Syrian refugees in Turkey:

“The initial welcoming culture has long since been replaced by resentments and hate speech. The option of naturalization fuels the discussion on Syrian refugees.

In last week of July, the Turkish parliament received a draft law on the naturalization of migrants, of which especially Syrian refugees would profit. At the same time, hate towards refugees is growing in the Turkish society. In daily life, they are being racially haressed and instrumentalized by politicians according to their political agenda. In re-occuring situations of conflict with the EU, Erdoğan, who normally stages himself as the saviour of the ‘muslim brothers and sisters’, threatens to put all refugees in busses towards Europe.”

Continue reading the whole article in Turkish or German!

News Digest

Children On the Move in the Midst of the EU-Turkey Deal

‘End Immigration Detention For Children‘ published a very insightful article on the fate or refugee children in the midst of the EU-Turkey Deal. In particular, the article deals with the situation of Pakistanis minors who reached the island of Lesvos.

What is certain is that these boys waited, alongside other children and adults, inside the detention center for many weeks or even months amidst appalling conditions, limited access to medical attention and information, violent outbursts, and food shortages. Many of them continue to wait in shelters or in other unstable and impermanent housing arrangements throughout the country. All of these boys remained far from home, but even further away from the better lives that they set out looking for.

Continue reading Children On the Move in the Midst of the EU-Turkey Deal →

News Digest

The AfroTurks who lost their language

IBW21.org published an insightful reportage about AfroTurks in Turkey:

“While Turkey is home to many ethnic and religious minorities, members of the Afro-Turk community attract immediate attention in big cities, particularly in the wake of the recent refugee crisis, when they have often been mistaken for Eritrean or Somalian refugees trying to get to Europe.

Although some estimates put the number of Afro Turks as high as 100,000, the community remains relatively unknown, especially outside of the Aegean area where many slave families were sent to work on the cotton fields near the port of old Smyrna (modern day Izmir) in the 18th Century, and where many were relocated in the last few decades of the Ottoman Empire.”

Continue reading the reportage here

News Digest

975 people intercepted trying to illegally enter Turkey

Daily Sabah reports that the Turkish Land Forces intercepted 975 people who tried to cross into Turkey on Monday: “The Turkish Armed Forces said in a statement that 926 people from Syria, 28 from Bulgaria, 18 from Greece and three people from Iraq, as well as 50 people trying to enter Syria from Turkish land, were captured.” Continue reading 975 people intercepted trying to illegally enter Turkey →

News Digest

Refugee aid dries up in Greece as media interest wanes

The EU claims refugee flows from Turkey to Greece have slowed, so it is cutting funding to aid agencies and paying the Greek government to take over services there instead.

Via AlJazeera – It never ceases to amaze me how quickly the media switches off. Only last year, journalists were winning awards for watching refugees drown. Last week, seven people died just off the Turkish coast and it hardly got a mention. Continue reading Refugee aid dries up in Greece as media interest wanes →