For the second day in a row, popular social media platforms continue to be inaccessible in central Turkey due to the ongoing anti-Syrian riots.
Internet disruptions continue to affect the southern regions of the country, extending into the borderlands of Syria.
Social Media Blackouts Continue Amid Anti-Syrian Unrest in Central Turkey
An incident of violence occurred in the Kayseri region on Sunday, where a Syrian man was arrested on charges of sexually harassing a 7-year-old Syrian girl. Protesters expressed their frustration by setting fire to Syrian shops and overturning cars, urging all Syrian residents to evacuate.
Over 470 individuals have been apprehended in Kayseri, while reports indicate that seven demonstrators lost their lives during confrontations in northern Syria.
In light of the ongoing crisis gripping multiple cities, authorities have once again taken action to disrupt the physical realm.
Turkish citizens have resorted to utilizing top-notch VPN services in order to gain access to popular platforms such as X, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, ensuring the continuous flow of information.
According to CNN, the local governor of Kayseri urged the public to approach the situation with calmness, moderation, and common sense.
The Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, criticized opposition parties for promoting divisive politics by taking a strong stance on the issue of removing the estimated 3.6 million Syrians from the country.
Erdogan has made a commitment to facilitate the conditions for a significant number of Syrians to willingly go back to their home country.
Internet Watchdog Criticizes Turkish Authorities for Stringent Online Blackouts
The riots in Kayseri also triggered a strong reaction within Syria. Footage captured in the town of Atareb, currently under the control of Turkish troops, depicts a scene of residents expressing their discontent with the presence of the Turkish army.
Demonstrators can be seen chanting and engaging in acts of protest, including throwing objects at an armored vehicle. A different video captured the scene of disorder that ensued, with billowing smoke and the echoes of gunfire.
According to a local resident, troops reportedly employed a smoke grenade and discharged shots into the air to disperse the crowd.
Alp Toker, the founder of internet watchdog NetBlocks, highlights the skill of Turkish authorities in online censorship through their recent series of online blackouts.
Turkey has been repeatedly involved in the practice of internet throttling and imposing social media blackouts. According to data from NetBlocks, national information blackouts have been enforced by authorities at least 20 times since 2015.
In 2023, Twitter, now X, experienced a temporary outage for a brief period of two days, coinciding with a critical time when people were seeking support and information following a tragic earthquake that claimed the lives of over 15,000 individuals in Turkey and Syria, Techradar reported.
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