• About BreezyScroll
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact Us
Saturday, May 24, 2025
BreezyScroll
ADVERTISEMENT
  • Home
  • Breezy Stories
  • Technology
  • Gaming
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • World
  • Money
  • Sports
  • Breezy Explainer
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Breezy Stories
  • Technology
  • Gaming
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • World
  • Money
  • Sports
  • Breezy Explainer
No Result
View All Result
BreezyScroll
No Result
View All Result
ADVERTISEMENT

Home  /  World  /  Turkey is deporting Syrian refugees for posting TikTok videos of them eating bananas

Turkey is deporting Syrian refugees for posting TikTok videos of them eating bananas

by Jhanvi Mehtalia
November 3, 2021
in World
Reading Time: 5 mins read
Turkey is deporting Syrian refugees for posting TikTok videos of them eating bananas

Syrians have been caught on camera laughing and joking in the latest trend to sweep Turkey’s social media. Then, Syrians face deportation from Turkey over these same banana jokes.

ADVERTISEMENT

They’ve been eating bananas in TikTok videos and also challenging their pals to do the same.

The videos appear to be innocent enough and are typical of TikTok these days. However, while trends come and go, these videos may have long-term implications for some Syrians.

Turkish officials have accused Syrians of “inciting hatred” by eating bananas in a “provocative” manner in recent days. They detained and will deport Several Syrians.

ADVERTISEMENT

Bananas have become a symbol of divisiveness in a climate of rising antagonism toward Turkey’s huge Syrian community.

Syrians face deportation from Turkey

Story behind the challenge videos

‘I cannot afford them’

A viral video showing a heated debate between Syrians and Turks over Turkey’s dismal economic position prompted the banana challenge. Excessive inflation has likewise harmed the Turkish Economy, which has lowered living standards.

In the film, opposing viewpoints uttered, and a young Syrian woman then defended the work ethic of migrants in fluent Turkish. Frustrated Turks responded by claiming that Syrians and Afghans were also stealing their employment.

In Turkey, which hosts the world’s largest refugee population, including 3.6 million Syrians, such views are popular. The anti-migrant sentiment is also on the rise, with several nationalist Turkish lawmakers advocating for stricter immigration restrictions.

But what made this video go viral was what one Turkish man said: “I see Syrians in the bazaar buying kilograms of bananas, I myself cannot afford them.”

This assertion, which sparked disagreement within Turkey’s Syrian population, swiftly became a TikTok viral soundbite. Syrians made videos of themselves eating bananas, applying banana filters, and posting banana memes to mock the Turkish man.

“Insulting the Turkish people and their flag”

Turkish authorities arrested an Orient channel journalist, Majed Shamaa, for a funny video in which he asked Syrians in Istanbul what they thought about the Turkish outrage over the banana videos. pic.twitter.com/ih3gQUjuRl

— Lindsey Snell (@LindseySnell) October 31, 2021

While the banana jokes were intended to be solely for internet entertainment, they did not amuse everyone.

One image, in particular, irritated me because it replaced the Turkish flag with a banana. They accused Syrian TikTok users of “insulting the Turkish people and their flag,” according to the newly formed nationalist Victory Party.

Other social media opponents said that the videos were “mocking the grave economic situation Turks are facing.”

In a period of economic hardship, the banana films also appear to have irritated Turkish authorities as well.

Local media reported on Thursday that Turkish police had detained 11 Syrians for posting banana videos, calling them “provocation and incitement to hatred.”

The Turkish Migration Authority stated that it would likewise “deport them after the necessary paperwork is taken care of”. Syrians could face deportation from Turkey for violating the harsh laws.

Turkey’s Directorate General of Migration said they’re putting in efforts to “uncover all the provocative posts” and deal with “all individuals who participated in this campaign.”

Then, on Sunday, Turkish officials detained Syrian journalist Majed Shamaa, who had covered the banana challenge in Istanbul for a television program.

The arrests appeared to have the support of several Turkish lawmakers. “Those banana eaters are making fun of us and abusing our flag,” Ilay Aksoy of the nationalist Good Party remarked in a tweet.

“We’re mocking Turks; we’re mocking racism. Economic deterioration affects us all.”

https://twitter.com/JrRezvani/status/1453767024434290709?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1453767024434290709%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.com%2Fnews%2Fworld-europe-59133076

Pro-minority Peoples’ Democratic Party termed the arrests as “racist”

Members of Turkey’s Syrian diaspora attempted to qualify the goal of the banana videos on social media. One person then wrote: “We’re mocking Turks; we’re mocking racism. Economic deterioration affects us all.”

Deema Shullar, a Syrian journalist based in Istanbul, told the BBC that the majority of the films were innocuous and “mere jokes.”

She did say, though, that some of them would consider as “harmful and offensive.” There are harsh laws in Turkey.

According to Ms. Shullar, the creators of these banana videos could be behind the bars under these rules.

Many Syrians, she claimed, were afraid of getting deportation back to their own country. Civil War has shattered Syria for more than a decade.

“Offences are very broadly defined,” Ms. Shullar said. She said a Syrian could be deported “over a Facebook post that can be interpreted in a certain way”.

Deportation, she claimed, was also an “act of intimidation” by the Turkish government.

She claimed that the banana videos had likewise diverted attention away from Turkey’s refugee issue and economic woes. Everyone was instead “focused on the TikTok videos.”

Tags: Banana jokesSyriaTurkey
ShareTweetShareSend
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Recent Articles

"I felt like a prostitute": Miss England drops out of Miss World in India, citing exploitation

“I felt like a prostitute”: Miss England drops out of Miss World in India, citing exploitation

May 24, 2025
Watch: Trump’s iPhone buzzes twice during his anti-Apple rant

Watch: Trump’s iPhone buzzes twice during his anti-Apple rant

May 24, 2025
Texas doctor sentenced to 10 years for giving stroke-inducing drugs and chemotherapy to healthy patients

Texas doctor sentenced to 10 years for giving stroke-inducing drugs and chemotherapy to healthy patients

May 24, 2025
Adult film star Bonnie Blue, who claimed sex record with 1,057 men, arrested

Adult film star Bonnie Blue, who claimed sex record with 1,057 men, arrested

May 23, 2025
BreezyScroll Logo

BreezyScroll is a global content platform that provides a unique experience of enhancing the knowledge quotient for its audience by providing the latest news and updates from various categories such as politics, sports, entertainment, technology, and more.
The platform aims to provide a concise and easy-to-read format for its users. BreezyScroll covers news stories from around the world, majorly the United States. The platform was launched in 2021 and has become one of the fastest-growing content companies in the US.

Follow Us

Browse by Category

  • Africa
  • Animals
  • Asia
  • Athletics
  • Australia
  • Auto
  • Basketball
  • Bollywood
  • Brand
  • Breezy Explainer
  • Breezy Feature
  • Breezy Soul
  • Business
  • Canada
  • Chess
  • China
  • Coronavirus
  • Cricket
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • Environment
  • EPL
  • Europe
  • Exclusive Interview
  • Exclusive Review
  • Football
  • Gaming
  • Health
  • Hollywood
  • India
  • International
  • K Pop
  • Law
  • Lifestyle
  • Middle East
  • Money
  • NFL
  • North America
  • OTT
  • Paris Olympics
  • Pets
  • Press Releases
  • Russia
  • Science
  • South America
  • Space
  • Sports
  • Startup
  • Technology
  • Tennis
  • Tennis
  • The Achievers
  • The US
  • Travel
  • UK
  • UK
  • Uncategorized
  • World
  • WWE

Trending Topics

Afghanistan AI Apple Australia Biden California Canada China Climate Change Coronavirus COVID-19 Donald Trump Elon Musk Featured Florida Google IPL Japan Joe Biden Mars Meta Moon NASA NBA Netflix New York North Korea Ohio Omicron Putin Queen Elizabeth II Russia Russia-Ukraine crisis South Korea SpaceX Taliban Tesla Texas TikTok Trump Twitter UK Ukraine USA Virat Kohli

No Result
View All Result
  • About BreezyScroll
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact Us

© 2024 · BreezyScroll.com

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Breezy Stories
  • Technology
  • Gaming
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • World
  • Money
  • Sports
  • Breezy Explainer

© 2024 · BreezyScroll.com

Go to mobile version