Montenegro has seen a surge in violent incidents targeting Turkish immigrants since the weekend, including vandalism, physical attacks, and verbal threats of lynching.
The incidents began after a fight broke out on October 25 in Podgorica in which a Montenegrin man was stabbed after an exchange of insults. Authorities said his injuries were not life-threatening.
Police detained a citizen of Turkey and a citizen of Azerbaijan as suspects in the stabbing and dozens more from those two countries suspected of lacking legal documents to reside in Montenegro.
Following the fight, vandals smashed the windows of a Turkish restaurant in the Montenegrin capital while others set fire to cars owned by Turkish immigrants.
Several Turkish nationals reported being physically attacked.
On October 26 and 27, crowds marched through largely Turkish neighborhoods chanting “Turks out” and “Kill the Turks.”
Local authorities said they had detained eight people for hate speech and making threats of physical violence against Turkish citizens.
The incidents have prompted fear and concern from some Montenegrins.
“I don’t like this,” said a woman named Nada who spoke to RFE/RL. “Everyone is welcome in Montenegro. We are a multiethnic, egalitarian, and I would say civil state, and we need to preserve that.”
But others seemed to share the rising anti-immigrant sentiment.
“Every form of violence should be condemned,” a man named Jovo told RFE/RL. “But it is up to the government to change their immigration policy as soon as possible, because there are too many migrants. The security situation has really deteriorated and, to tell you the truth, I no longer feel safe and comfortable.”
Turks make up about 13 percent of the foreign citizens residing in Montenegro.
Until now, Turkish citizens could take advantage of a visa-free regime to travel to Montenegro. But Montenegrin authorities temporarily suspended that policy on October 27 and offered interim visas instead.
In a statement, the government said it would respect the status of Turkish residents and “take all necessary steps to ensure that their stay is unhindered and in accordance with the law.”
