Hommam Al Nassim 
A video clip documenting the assault of a Turkish man on a 7-year-old Tunisian child sparked widespread controversy in Türkiye.
The incident occurred in a shopping store in Istanbul after a dispute between the child and the man’s daughter in a nearby park.
The video spread on social media and showed the man hitting the child on the head, threatening to kill him, and directing insults at him, including, “There is no doubt that you are Syrian!”
البقال تدخل وأنقذ الطفل.. مواطن تركي يعتـدي بالضرب على طفل تونسي يبلغ من العمر 7 سنوات داخل بقالية في منطقة الفاتح بإسطنبول، وذلك لأن الطفل تشاجر مع أطفاله بحسب ادعائه.
المواطن قام بشتم الطفل وهدّده بالقتـل و الطعـن وقال له من المؤكد أنك سوري!.. İHA pic.twitter.com/2yfdw8lAmc— كوزال (@guzel_olalim) June 21, 2024
The store owner intervened to stop the assault after the man slapped the child on the head. The child’s mother, Nourhan, confirmed that her son Bayram was suffering from swelling in his head and was now afraid to leave his room or the house for fear of being stabbed, noting that she lives with her family on the same street where the incident occurred.
The video sparked a widespread wave of anger on social media, as Turkish users demanded that the attacker be prosecuted, and pointed out that such behavior harms tourism in Turkey.
On the other hand, tweeters from Tunisia and other Arab countries called for a boycott of tourism in Türkiye.
So far, there has been no official comment from the Turkish authorities or the Tunisian embassy in Ankara regarding the incident, although controversy over it continues on social media.
It should be noted that Türkiye has recently witnessed several similar attacks, especially against Syrian refugees.
Turkey seeks to raise trade exchange with Tunisia to $3 billion annually