Seven Syrian refugees who are currently living in Turkey are set to be deported by Turkish authorities after posting a video of themselves eating bananas on Tik-Tok.
Syrians eating bananas has become a symbol of mockery of Turkish complaints about the refugees. This comes after a Turkish man in a widely-seen interview complained that he couldn’t buy bananas because the Syrians were buying them by the kilogram.
Syrians have posted videos of themselves on social media sarcastically carrying huge numbers of bananas or enjoying eating multiple bananas at a time.
The announcement of the deportation by Turkey’s Directorate General of Migration Management has raised questions as to its legality, especially considering that the civil war continues in Syria and the country is still unsafe for the millions who have fled.
The 4 million Syrian refugees living in Turkey have become a political weapon, as Turkish president Erdogan has threatened to send them to Europe on several occasions if the European Union does not comply with his demands.