Except for refugees
City in Turkey increases prices for foreigners ten times
Passers-by in Istanbul. In Bolu, in northern Turkey, foreigners now have to pay ten times the prices of locals. (Symbol photo)
The city of Bolu in northern Turkey has raised the cost of living ten times for foreigners living there. The reason: foreigners are not welcome there.
The mayor of Bolu is causing a stir in Turkey with extra prizes for foreigners. People without a Turkish passport now have to pay ten times the price for water in the northern Turkish city and significantly more than Turkish citizens for civil weddings, reported the state broadcaster TRT on Tuesday.
According to TRT, the regulation is based on a proposal by the mayor, Tanju Özcan, to which the city council approved. “We don’t want foreigners to get married here, have children and settle in Bolu,” said Özcan last.
Public Prosecutor’s Office in Turkey is investigating
Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gül responded via Twitter and accused the mayor of racism. Everyone has equal rights to public services, wrote Gül. The politician of the pro-Kurdish HDP party, Ömer Faruk Gergerlioglu, also accused Özcan of racism and discrimination and called on Özcan’s party, the Kemalist CHP, to exclude him. The public prosecutor is currently investigating Özcan for abuse of office, as well as hatred and discrimination, reported TRT. Disciplinary proceedings against Özcan are also ongoing in the CHP, according to a spokesman for the party.
The civil wedding, for example, costs foreigners TRT in Bolu now 100,000 Turkish Lira – more than 7300 euros. For Turkish citizens, prices start at around 500 lira (just under 40 euros). According to Özcan, the regulation for increased water prices does not apply to refugees, but only to foreigners who have a settlement permit in Bolu. Özcan has caused heated controversy several times in the past. Shortly after his election in 2019, he announced, for example, that he would stop aid payments for refugees.
Around 3.7 million people with Syrian roots live in Turkey – plus hundreds of thousands of other migrants. Comparatively few Syrians live in Bolu Province. Of the more than 300,000 inhabitants, just under 4,400 are Syrians – around 1.4 percent of the population.
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