Laughing and joking in front of the cameras, Syrians participate in the latest craze on social media in Turkey. In TikTok videos, they have been eating bananas and challenging their friends to do the same.
The clips seem harmless enough, but they can have serious consequences for some. In recent days, Turkish authorities have accused Syrians of “inciting hatred” by eating bananas “provocatively”. Several were arrested and could be deported.
In a climate of growing hostility towards Turkey’s large Syrian community, bananas have become a symbol of this social divide. So what’s the story behind the Banana Challenge videos?
‘I can’t pay for bananas’
The Banana Challenge was inspired by a viral video of a heated discussion between Syrians and Turks about the dire economic situation in Turkey. The country’s economy suffered from high inflation that eroded living standards.
In the video, conflicting views were shared, and a young Syrian woman, in fluent Turkish, defended the refugees’ work ethic. In response, frustrated Turks suggested that Syrians and Afghans were stealing their jobs.
Such views are not uncommon in Turkey, which is home to the world’s largest refugee population, including 3.6 million Syrians. Anti-immigrant sentiment has been rising, with several Turkish nationalist politicians campaigning for tougher restrictions.
But what made this video viral was what one Turk said: “I see Syrians in the market buying kilos of bananas, I don’t have the money to buy them myself.”
This claim, which caused debate among the Syrian community in Turkey, quickly turned into a viral catchphrase on TikTok. Mocking the Turk, Syrians filmed themselves eating bananas, using banana filters and sharing banana memes. But the jokes didn’t amuse everyone.
A photo that replaced the Turkish flag with a banana was the one that most aroused the anger. The newly founded Victory Party, which is nationalist, has filed a complaint against Syrian TikTok users for “insulting the Turkish people and their flag”.
Other critics on social media said the videos “mocked the serious economic situation the Turks are facing”.
At a time of economic crisis, the banana videos apparently angered Turkish authorities as well. Local media reported that police arrested 11 Syrians who published these videos, accusing them of “provoking and inciting hatred.”
The Turkish immigration authority said it would “deport them after the necessary paperwork has been resolved”. Efforts are being made to “identify all provocative messages” and deal with “all individuals who participated in this campaign,” said Turkey’s Directorate General for Migration.
Turkish authorities also arrested Syrian journalist Majed Shamaa, who made a TV report on the Istanbul banana challenge.
‘We are not making fun of the Turks’
Some Turkish politicians appeared to support the arrests. In a tweet, Ilay Aksoy of the nationalist legend İyi Parti said that “those banana eaters are mocking us and insulting our flag.”
But the People’s Democratic Party, which is pro-minority, said the arrests were “racist”.
On social media, members of Turkey’s Syrian diaspora tried to explain the purpose of the banana videos. One wrote: “We are not making fun of the Turks, we are making fun of racism. The economic deterioration affects us all.”
Syrian journalist Deema Shullar, who lives in Istanbul, told the BBC that most of the videos were harmless and “mere jokes”. But she said some of them may have been considered “offensive”.
In Turkey, there are strict laws that prohibit insults against the state, its flag and the president. The authors of banana videos can be prosecuted under these laws, Shullar said. She said many Syrians fear being deported to their home country, which has been in civil war for a decade.
“Offenses are defined very broadly,” Shullar said. She said a Syrian could be deported “for a Facebook post that could be interpreted in a certain way.” She called the deportation an “act of intimidation” by the Turkish government.
The banana videos shifted the focus of the refugee crisis and economic difficulties in Turkey, she said. Instead, everyone was “focused on TikTok videos”.
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