Syrian migrants face deportation in Turkey over complaints of purported lifestyle

Seven Syrians face expulsion from Turkey after sharing footage of themselves eating bananas on social media, amid broader complaints over the alleged lifestyle of refugees, according to a Turkish news source. The seven, along with a Syrian juvenile, were apprehended in the western city of Izmir on Friday, October 29, according to the private news outlet Demiroren. Earlier this week, the Turkish migration administration said that another seven foreign people will be deported for unrelated reasons.

Turkey has the world's largest refugee population, which is primarily made up of 3.6 million natives of Syria, seeking temporary asylum. While they were first welcomed, increasing economic realities in Turkey have caused local sentiment to turn against them. Since the banana videos from an online news outlet appeared on October 17 showing an incident on an Istanbul street between a young Syrian woman and a group of Turks, videos of people claiming to be Syrians eating bananas have sprung up.

According to Demiroren, those held in Izmir will be deported for threatening public order and security. The kid was transported to a juvenile detention facility. The Directorate General of Migration Management said in a statement posted Wednesday that deportation proceedings will be begun against seven Syrians who had been processed by the legal system. The statement further added, "efforts are underway to uncover all the provocative posts ... and to carry out the necessary judicial and administrative procedures against all individuals who make these posts." Istanbul police announced the next day that 11 Syrians had been arrested for inciting hatred and insulting the Turkish nation.

Syria denounces Ankara’s recent threat about sending more military forces 

Syria denounced the attack on Saturday, in the harshest possible terms, Ankara's recent warning of sending additional military soldiers and ratcheting up combat operations in Syria and Iraq, a Syrian Foreign Ministry source told the semi-official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), according to Sputnik. Syria mocked the Turkish parliament's approval of cross-border "counterterrorism" operations on Saturday, accusing it of indulging in volatile geopolitics and labelling it a threat to regional peace and security for northern Iraq and Syria. The Syrian FM source urged the Security Council to exercise its mandates and powers by condemning all of the Turkish regime's hostile activities against the Syrian Arab Republic's sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity. In addition, the FM source asked that the international community take action against Turkey for its ongoing belligerence against Syrian citizens, as well as attacks on infrastructure, public and private property, natural resources, and the country's historical legacy.

(With inputs from agencies)

Image: AP