Social media, politics, and the rise of the anti-refugee far-right in Turkey

Abstract This paper examines the discursive strategies of Turkey’s emerging far-right political party, the Zafer Partisi (Victory Party). The Party’s leader, Ümit Özdağ, gained unexpected electoral influence in 2023, prominently advocating for the expulsion of Syrian refugees. Combining content and critical discourse analysis, the paper delves into the discursive features of Özdağ’s tweets on refugees. Subsequently, it aims to understand the intricacies of the party’s anti-refugee stance within the context of Turkish politics and its implications for relationships between Turkish society and refugees. The dataset comprises 3008 tweets spanning from November 18, 2022, to November 18, 2023. The analysis reveals Özdağ’s construction of a securitization narrative, framing refugees as a threat and positioning his party as the defender of Turkish identity. His far-right stance, distinguishes itself by strategically targeting Syrian refugees, appealing to public concerns, and casting suspicions on local and international actors, specifically the ruling party in Turkey and the EU.