Syrian refugees are deported from Turkey to make fun of bananas
Turkish police arrested 11 Syrians on Thursday on charges of “inciting and inciting hatred” through video. Turkey has recently sparked outrage against Syrian immigrants for allegedly releasing “provocative” videos of banana-eating video platforms.
Syrian immigrants in Turkey are showing tickets eating bananas in various funny videos. Turkish citizens are outraged against the Syrians after watching these videos called ‘Banana Challenge,’ which have spread on social media.
Turkish authorities have even accused Syrians of “inciting hatred” for releasing such videos. Several Syrians have already been arrested and are reported to have been deported from Turkey.
But suddenly the noise started with the video of eating a banana!
A few days ago, a Turkish citizen said, “I see Syrians buying a few kilos of bananas from the market, but I can’t buy bananas myself.” His claim sparked controversy among Syrian refugees in Turkey and was “viral” if they released counter-videos as part of the protests.
The Turkish mocked the citizen, and the Syrians started publishing banana-eating videos, banana filters, and ‘meme content’ on social media. Not everyone has responded positively to this joke, even though it provides food for fun online.
As seen in one picture, a banner picture has been put in place of the Turkish flag; There was intense anger surrounding the film. Turkey’s newly formed nationalist Victory Party has accused Syrian ticket users of “insulting the Turkish people and their flag.”
Other social media critics say the videos are a mockery of Turkey’s deteriorating economic situation. According to local media, Turkish police arrested 11 Syrians last Thursday on “inciting and spreading hatred” through video. Turkish immigration authorities have said they will be repatriated after taking the necessary steps.
The country’s immigration department said it would remove all provocative videos posted in recent times. Besides, they will take action against all those who took part in its promotion. Last Sunday, Turkish authorities arrested Syrian journalist Majed Shama for reporting on the ‘Banana Challenge’ on television in Istanbul.
Several Turkish politicians have expressed support for the arrest of the refugees. In a tweet, Ile Aksay of the Nationalist Good Party said, “They have ridiculed us by eating bananas and insulted our national flag.” However, the pro-minority People’s Democratic Party called the arrests “racist.”
Meanwhile, Syrians in Turkey said of their motive behind the banana-eating videos: “No, we are not mocking the Turks, we are mocking racism. The economic catastrophe has affected us all.”
Dima Schuller, a Syrian journalist living in Istanbul, told the BBC that most videos were innocent and nothing more than jokes. However, he said that some of them are ‘harmful and offensive videos.
Turkey has severe penalties for insulting the state, the national flag, and the president. It has been reported that they will bring banana-eating video makers under these laws. Many Syrians fear they could be sent back to a decade-long civil war.
“Only a Facebook post will expel a Syrian citizen – there are many ways to explain this,” Schuller said. He sees the expulsion of refugees as a threat and intimidation by the Turkish government. According to him, these videos about eating bananas have diverted attention from Turkey’s refugee crisis and economic catastrophe. Instead, everyone is now tickling the video.