Protests erupt in Turkish border town after bomb attacks
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E-mail Xinhua, May 12, 2013
Protests erupted Saturday in the Turkish town of Reyhanli near the border with Syria after twin car bombs killed at least 42 people there, local media reported.
More than 100 protesters in downtown Reyhanli slammed the government's policy toward Syria and called on Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to step down, according to the report.
Some protesters smashed the windows of vehicles with Syrian license plates, the report said, adding that police reinforcements had been sent to the southern town in Hatay province to contain the situation.
Media reports have said tensions have been running high in Reyhanli for a couple of weeks, citing recent gang fights between Syrian refugees and Turkish youths.
Also on Saturday, similar protests took place in the capital Ankara, where people chanted slogans against Syrian refugees bringing violence to Turkey.
Turkey has been struggling to deal with an overwhelming influx of refugees due to the ongoing Syrian crisis. Over 200,000 Syrians are currently taking shelter in the country.
Earlier in May, one Turkish border guard was killed and six others wounded in a clash on the Syrian border.
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