The banana challenge was inspired by a viral video of a heated discussion between Syrians and Turks about the dire economic situation in Turkey. Turkey’s economy has suffered from high inflation that has eroded living standards.
In the video, conflicting views were shared and a young Syrian woman, in fluent Turkish, defended the work ethic of refugees. In response, frustrated Turks suggested Syrians and Afghans were taking their jobs.
Such opinions are not uncommon in Turkey, which hosts the world’s largest refugee population, including 3.6 million Syrians. Anti-migrant sentiment has been rising, with a number of nationalist Turkish politicians campaigning for harsher restrictions.
But what made this video go viral was what one Turkish man said: “I see Syrians in the bazaar buying kilograms of bananas, I myself cannot afford them.” Continue
