iPhone owners in Turkey are taking to the streets to smash their iPhones in protest against the country’s strained relationship with the United States.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on Turks to boycott U.S. products — specifically the iPhone made by Apple in California. Multiple videos have been posted online showing iPhone owners using hammers, rocks and even fire to destroy their iPhones.
Watch one of the demonstrators greet some iPhones with a sledgehammer!
Turkey’s current enemy of the state: the iPhone. Erdogan says the Turkish ppl will defeat the “economic terrorists” the same way the attempted coup was defeated in 2016 when he used the iPhone’s FaceTime feature to rally citizens. How ironic. #Lira #USD pic.twitter.com/aaVek6e4st
— Samira Ghaderi (@Samira_Ghaderi) August 15, 2018
In the video posted above, the protester addresses Trump directly.
“If you threaten us with hunger you will only make us laugh. Do whatever in your power,” he says. “Look now what will happen to you iPhones on the orders of Erdogan.”
Turkey vs. the USA
The protests stem from the Trump administration’s clash with Turkey over jailed American pastor Andrew Brunson. Trump called for Brunson’s release and threatened sanctions if he wasn’t let go. Turkey still has Brunson under house arrest, so Trump followed through on the sanctions and has threatened more if Brunson isn’t released.
Brunson is being charged with espionage and terrorism. The United States insists that he is simply a family man who’s been living in Turkey for 20 years. Before being put on house arrest recently, he was held in prison for two years.
Turkey’s fight with the Trump administration has caused its currency, the lira, to drop in value. Investors are worried about the country’s economic stability in light of the tough sanctions. But it doesn’t look like either side is ready to back down anytime soon.
Different iPhone & USA protests in Turkey @AppleSupport pic.twitter.com/Vi1QlLpn1N
— Mutlu Civiroglu (@mutludc) August 16, 2018
While busting up old iPhones that have already been paid for won’t hurt Apple’s bottom line immediately, the company won’t be getting any new orders from Turkey in the immediate future. The largest Turkish retailers no longer accept orders for iPhones. Marketplace Dogubank reportedly canceled an order worth $50 million.
