On Sunday, an angry mob burned cars and destroyed stores belonging to Syrian refugees in the central Turkish city of Kayseri, chanting that they "don't want any more Syrians."

In response, demonstrators in the Turkish-controlled area of northwestern Syria launched anti-Turkish protests of their own in the following days, saying they were acting in solidarity with their Syrian compatriots in Turkey. Several people have died in the unrest.

The mob's rage in Turkey wasn't just directed at Syrian refugees, but also against the Syria policy of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with calls for the Turkish president to "step down!" They said they no longer accepted Erdogan's long-standing open-door policy for the around 3.5 million Syrians who have escaped to Turkey since Syria's civil war broke out in 2011.

Erdogan criticized the riots in Kayseri as "unacceptable." According to media reports, around 470 people were detained.

On a political level, the impact of these riots might have even further implications: the protests and violence could thwart the planned rapprochement between the Turkish and Syrian governments.

The leaders of both countries said recently, in an indirect way, that they wanted to reset their relationship, which has been strained for many years.

Ankara suspended relations with the regime of Syrian........

© Deutsche Welle