Turkey urges Germany to stop attacks on immigrants

Turkey urged Germany Tuesday to take measures to stop attacks on Turkish immigrant workers, saying they have been on the rise over the past several months.

“We expect the German authorities to apprehend the perpetrators in the shortest possible time and bring them to justice… We believe (they) will take the necessary measures to prevent the repetition of such attacks,” a foreign ministry statement said.

Turkish homes, mosques and associations in various German cities have become the target of attacks in recent months “which appear to have been driven by racism, xenophobia and Islamophobia,” the statement said. “For instance, 10 arson attacks have taken place over the past 10 days in some districts of Berlin such as Neukolln which are heavily populated by Turkish and other immigrants,” it added.

The statement slammed German politicians and media for “negative and prejudiced” attitudes towards immigrants which “make immigrants a target of xenophobic groups.”

AFP, 29 March 2011