Jews, Armenians and Syrians were the top groups subjected to hate speech in the Turkish media in 2018, according to a report published by the Hrant Dink Foundation.
The report indicates Jews were the targets of hate speech in 1,113 columns and news articles in Turkey’s national and local media. The figure is 973 for Armenians, 918 for Syrians and 672 for Greeks.
The most numerous instances of hate speech occurred in Yeni Akit, a staunchly pro-government newspaper, followed by the Islamist Milli Gazete daily, the ultranationalist Yeni Çağ and the Islamist pro-government papers Milat and Diriliş Postası.
The report found a total of 6,517 columns and news articles that included hate speech targeting 98 minority groups.
Anti-refugee sentiment began to grow in the country after millions of Syrians fled to Turkey following the eruption of a civil war in Syria in 2011.
Turkey hosts some 3.6 million Syrians, according to officials.