Turkey plans to deport 7 Syrians over publishing “provocative” videos about bananas
The Turkish authorities intend to deport 7 Syrians accused of “threatening public order and security” in Turkey, against the background of publishing provocative videos on social media, or what is known as “banana” videos.
Anadolu Agency quoted the Izmir state authority as saying that it had arrested 8 Syrians who published provocative videos, after circulating an interview with a Turkish citizen on the street, in which he said, “I can’t eat bananas, you are buying kilos of bananas.”
He added that among those arrested was a minor who was transferred to the Juvenile Division, while the rest were referred to the Immigration Directorate in preparation for their deportation, on charges of “threatening public order and security.”
The arrest and deportation decision sparked widespread controversy among the Syrian refugees, as some of them supported these measures, while others described it as an “unfair procedure.”
About a week ago, video clip was published on social media, in which a fight between a Syrian young woman and Turkish citizens appeared in a neighborhood in Istanbul, where a man told the young woman, “You live more easily than us. I cannot buy bananas when you buy them by kilograms in the markets!”
The Turkish elderly man also talked about the economic problems he suffers from, such as his inability to pay the rent of his house, blaming the reasons for this on the Syrians.
According to the latest statistics of the Turkish Ministry of Interior, the number of registered Syrian refugees on Turkish territory is 3 million and 715, and they reside in different states, most notably: Istanbul, Gaziantep, Urfa and Hatay.
