When civilians in northwest Syria hit the streets to protest against the xenophobic attacks carried out against Syrian refugees in central Turkey’s Kayseri on 1 July, they didn’t pause to consider the possible consequences, namely, the closure of the sole border crossings into the territory. Turkish flags were torn down from streets and service facilities across northwest Syria as demonstrators hurled stones at Turkish security and army vehicles, outraged at the violence meted out to Syrians in Turkey. In response to the protests, which saw attempts to storm the border crossings, attacks on tr…