ALBAWABA - Social media in Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations has been rocked by a racist attack on Saudi tourists and businessmen in Istanbul.
Social media footage shows a Turkish national verbally abusing a group of Saudi tourists and investors while they were dining at a tourist restaurant in Istanbul's Maslak neighborhood.
The widely shared video shows the Turkish national yelling profane and racist epithets at the Saudi tourists and businessmen before threatening them with a knife.
The Turkish man continued to curse Arabs after verbally abusing them, saying, "This is Turkey, do not speak Arabic."
Although further information about the incident is still pending, social media users identified Khalid Al-Fawzan and Ibrahim Al-Hadithi as the Saudi men who were verbally abused by a Turkish national last night.
Testimonies that have gone viral claim that while Al-Fawzan and Al-Hadithi were in the area, someone who behaved hostilely and racistly attempted to attack them.
The incident was captured on camera, and as soon as it was posted to social media, Saudi and Arab users were incensed and furious.
Many Twitter users emphasized the need to protect Arab tourists and investors in Turkey and urged the Turkish authorities to act quickly and apprehend the offender.
Taking advantage of this verbal assault on Saudi investors, Arab social media users called for a boycott of Turkish tourism in the face of ongoing racist attacks against Arab travelers and refugees.
The safety of Arab visitors and refugees in Istanbul has come under scrutiny following this racist attack, and some have called for stringent measures to stop similar incidents from happening in the future.
Turkish national who attacked Saudi tourists is apprehended
According to news reports, a citizen of Turkey was arrested for verbally abusing tourists from an Arab nation.
According to these reports, preliminary investigations showed the convicted person had been drinking.
