Turkey deports Syrian refugees over ‘provocative’ banana-eating

QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Syrian refugees face the threat of deportation after Turkishauthorities arrested 11 on charges of “provocatively” eating bananas in social media posts.  

The Istanbul Police Department took action against 31 suspects in total in the banana case, arresting 11, according to Turkish media. 

The banana case started when a video was posted on social media in which a Turkish man in Istanbul complaining he “could not afford to buy bananas”, while Syrians could afford “kilograms of bananas”.

This video footage caused a great controversy among Syrians residing in Turkey, as pioneers of social media shared various types of satirical images, all related to their eating of bananas. 

The Turks saw that these videos “mock the economic hardship of Turkish citizens” in the face of inflation and the devaluation of the national currency.  

In a week, the matter escalated, and on October 28, the Turkish authorities arrested 7 Syrian refugees who shared videos about the bananas, on charges of “inciting people to hatred and humiliation.”

And the Turkish Immigration Service said it will deport them after completing the necessary legal procedures.

From time to time, the Turkish authorities launch campaigns related to the arrest of Syrians, and then to organize the necessary files against them to deport them to Syria. 

The Turkish authorities continue to deport Syrian refugees under several pretexts and excuses.

According to a statement published by the Bab al-Hawa border crossing management, northwest Syria, the number of Syrian refugees who were deported from Turkey to northern Syria in January 2021, reached 2,229.   

The Turkish authorities also invoke the deportation of Syrians, “under the pretext of fabricating some problems that do not rise to the level of making a decision to deport to areas that may not be safe for Syrians, even if they are in Idlib and its countryside.”

About 4 million Syrians live in Turkey, according to Turkish official statistics.