As anti-refugee sentiment catches up in Türkiye, social media is at the forefront of misinformation and disinformation targeting migrants. Experts say anonymous accounts on social media platforms are primarily responsible for fuelling violence, particularly toward Syrian refugees who make up the bulk of refugees in the country.

The issue is sensitive as Türkiye, a neighbor of war-torn Syria, has embraced millions since the unrest broke out in 2011 in that country. Ankara was lauded for its exemplary treatment of the refugees but growing far-right anti-refugee sentiment aggravates the risk of violence toward them.

Professor Bekir Berat Özipek and researcher Elif Yurtoğlu Pek from Istanbul Medipol University are among the experts researching the attitude toward refugees, who became more visible in society as their numbers swelled. Their studies focus on the proper representation of refugees in conventional media and social media.

Özipek told Anadolu Agency (AA) in a recent interview that news related to Syrians in Turkish media was mostly "far from neutrality" and suffered from "a lack of responsible coverage." "The language in articles often borrow terms used in articles on wars and disasters and refugees are often subject of a pejorative rhetoric," he said. "Mainstream media often treat the refugees as an invisible community while social media turns to blatant discrimination, racism, sectarianism, Islamophobia or xenophobia (towards Arabs) when it comes to refugees. The anonymous nature of social media, anonymous accounts make their job easier," he said.

Social media is worse, as it can be easily manipulated, according to Özipek. "Fake news, information about Syrian refugees continue circulating on the social media even after they were proven false and more often than not, correct information is buried under the weight of false information," he noted.

The real danger lies in the potential violence against refugees. In the past years, refugees have been the subject of attacks in various towns across Türkiye upon rumors that they were involved in cases of rape or murders against the local population. "Even if misinformation spread on social media does not directly aim to, it can trigger a wave of hatred and can be used as an excuse in the attacks," Özipek warned.

Özipek also laments the fact that it was not "well explained" that the refugees are not an economic burden for Türkiye. Indeed, far-right propaganda against refugees focuses on the claim that Türkiye sumptuously spends for the welfare of refugees, favoring them over Turkish citizens living in dire straits.

"We wouldn’t have such prejudice if people were told that the state does not ‘feed’ refugees and pay them salaries, if they were told that refugees receiving cash from Turkish Red Crescent were paid from funds supplied by the European Union, the United Nations and other international organizations," he says.

He also blamed the Turkish opposition parties, which turn to provocation to feed the current prejudice. "They know that an extra resource is not allocated for refugees, they know that children of refugees are not admitted into universities for free (as fake news claimed). But they sustain their policy of disinformation, deepening the prejudice," Özipek says.

Most opposition parties promise to "send away" refugees in their election campaigns. On Thursday, incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s main rival Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu reiterated his pledge in his first public address since last Sunday’s presidential elections, which will have a runoff on May 28.

Kılıçdaroğlu sharpened his tone on migrants on Thursday, vowing to send all migrants back to their countries once elected in a May 28 runoff vote. "Erdoğan, you have deliberately allowed 10 million refugees into Türkiye. You even put Turkish citizenship up for sale to get imported votes," Kılıçdaroğlu said, without providing evidence.

Türkiye hosts the world's largest refugee population of around 4 million, according to official figures.

"I am announcing here: I will send all refugees back home once I am elected as president, period," Kılıçdaroğlu added.

In his election campaign, Kılıçdaroğlu had said they had plans to send Syrians y back home within two years after making a deal with Syria’s Bashar Assad for their safety and coordinating with the U.N.

Elif Yurtoğlu Pek says that people’s perceptions of refugees are shaped by media coverage. "Some media outlets portray them as victims while others depict them as people living solely on aid and a threat to the economy," she says.

"They are often falsely associated with security problems. Male refugees are on the news mostly for cases of theft, sexual harassment or riots, and female refugees are either portrayed as poor mothers living alone or in negative portrayals, as homewreckers," she says.