Turks are destroying their Apple iPhones to protest U.S. tariffs

by Alan Friedman

Aug 19, 2018, 10:41 AM

In Turkey, the latest fad is to destroy your Apple iPhone on video in order to support Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. As we told you the other day, Turkey's leader has called for a boycott of devices made by Apple as a way of protesting tariffs and sanctions placed on the country by U.S. President Donald Trump. Various tweets and YouTube posts contain video showing Turks smashing, shooting and burning their iPhone handsets.

The move by Trump to double tariffs imposed on Turkish steel and aluminum imports into the U.S. came after Erdogan refused to release jailed American pastor Andrew Brunson, who has been locked up in Turkey for two years. Brunson is accused of helping a group that staged a failed coup in 2016 that nearly ousted Erdogan. The U.S. denies this and says that Brunson is being held for political reasons.

In a speech, Turkey's president said that citizens of the country can always turn to Samsung to replace their iPhones, or buy a domestic handset such as the Vestel Venus.

"If they have iPhone, there is Samsung on the other side. And we have our Venus and Vestel. We are going to produce enough for ourselves. We have to serve better quality goods than we are importing from them."-Recep Tayyip Erdogan, president, Turkey

In the video found at the top of this article, you can see a group of five Turkish men who have their iPhones destroyed with the use of a sledgehammer.

This is a Vestel Venus model, the locally produced phone that Turkey's president wants citizens to buy to replace their iPhones

source: Time, YouTube

FEATURED VIDEO

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51 Comments

50. cmvrgr

Posts: 45; Member since: Aug 16, 2013

When a person destroy his personal device that has already paid with his own money meaning two things. The first one that they are uneducated and the second that are fanatics that is very common in countries with specific beliefs. This is a small example of how dangerous are countries with that extremist behavior.

posted on Aug 20, 2018, 9:06 PM 0

46. dimas

Posts: 3466; Member since: Jul 22, 2014

Apple be like: "Lol, those phones are already paid so ok."

posted on Aug 19, 2018, 11:12 PM 2

44. mixedfish

Posts: 1574; Member since: Nov 17, 2013

The problem is....you already bought an iPhone.

posted on Aug 19, 2018, 10:37 PM 2

30. Plasticsh1t

Posts: 3109; Member since: Sep 01, 2014

Destroying your own property to show protest? how about they destroy android phones and American cars. They also should ban Windows, Mac OS, and Linux. The internet is an American product how about they boycott that too as well? Not very smart if you ask me.

posted on Aug 19, 2018, 3:59 PM 0

45. mixedfish

Posts: 1574; Member since: Nov 17, 2013

The key word here is tariff.

posted on Aug 19, 2018, 10:38 PM 1

29. gokberkk

Posts: 3; Member since: Aug 19, 2018

They out of their minds so as a turkish i can say that don't take 'em seriously lmao we laughing at too

posted on Aug 19, 2018, 3:36 PM 1

36. morgeus09

Posts: 108; Member since: Aug 19, 2018

Haklisin xd

posted on Aug 19, 2018, 6:12 PM 0

28. D34ever

Posts: 251; Member since: Jul 14, 2018

As long as they're paid for, no one cares.

posted on Aug 19, 2018, 3:05 PM 0

22. Awalker

Posts: 1988; Member since: Aug 15, 2013

A better protest would be not to buy American products. Destroying your own property seems foolish unless you were going to get rid of the device anyway.

posted on Aug 19, 2018, 2:18 PM 4

20. darkkjedii

Posts: 31809; Member since: Feb 05, 2011

Trumps gonna have it to where he can’t go anywhere lol. This dudes making an enemy of everyone.

posted on Aug 19, 2018, 1:44 PM 8

23. Awalker

Posts: 1988; Member since: Aug 15, 2013

He thinks the rest of the world is like his cultish following in the US. It doesn't work that way outside of the cult.

posted on Aug 19, 2018, 2:23 PM 3

27. darkkjedii

Posts: 31809; Member since: Feb 05, 2011

Exactly

posted on Aug 19, 2018, 2:35 PM 2

24. Awalker

Posts: 1988; Member since: Aug 15, 2013

[Deleted]

posted on Aug 19, 2018, 2:23 PM 0

19. morgeus09

Posts: 108; Member since: Aug 19, 2018

I am from turkey. Half of Turkish people (who stick with Erdogan) are idiot. Most of them are Islamic, non-secular and hidebound. Most of Turkish people hate someone like these guys. By the way phonearena team you was added general mobile brand from turkey, this brand is in 33 country and until the end of 2018 this number will be 45, there is two more phone gm8 and gm8 go. When IFA2018 they will release their most powerful flagship ever. And there is vestal venus as you know, the phone in this picture old flagship of company, its name is venus z10. And there is a succeccor of z10, named z20. Can you and gm8, gm8 go and venus phones?

posted on Aug 19, 2018, 1:38 PM 0

21. darkkjedii

Posts: 31809; Member since: Feb 05, 2011

What’s wrong with them being Islamic?

posted on Aug 19, 2018, 1:45 PM 4

25. morgeus09

Posts: 108; Member since: Aug 19, 2018

Not modern Islamic, hidebound. I live there I am Turkey and their lifestyle is wrong, half of turkey don't approve them. These guys in this video they are one of the worst of them.

posted on Aug 19, 2018, 2:27 PM 2

26. morgeus09

Posts: 108; Member since: Aug 19, 2018

Not modern Islamic, hidebound. I live there I am Turkey and their lifestyle is wrong, half of turkey don't approve them. These guys in this video they are one of the worst of them.

posted on Aug 19, 2018, 2:27 PM 0

18. Tipus

Posts: 914; Member since: Sep 30, 2016

Then they should delete they Windows OS as well :))

posted on Aug 19, 2018, 1:31 PM 0

16. baldilocks

Posts: 1561; Member since: Dec 14, 2008

Just another country upset that America is no longer giving in.

posted on Aug 19, 2018, 12:57 PM 3

31. Back_from_beyond

Posts: 1489; Member since: Sep 04, 2015

I guess that makes you another idiot that believes it won't come back to bite him in the ass, because guess what, you pay for all Trump's idiotic plans.

posted on Aug 19, 2018, 4:02 PM 2

33. rouyal

Posts: 1603; Member since: Jan 05, 2018

Trump's doing great. The numbers speak for themselves

posted on Aug 19, 2018, 4:30 PM 0

35. sissy246

Posts: 7129; Member since: Mar 04, 2015

You mean his low approval rate numbers, yeah he's doing great, lol

posted on Aug 19, 2018, 5:34 PM 4

49. strategic_developer

Posts: 1627; Member since: Jul 17, 2018

Well we know Trump is great at doing a lot of things. Just look at the numbers. He's great on cheating on his wives. Now we know of several women he's cheated with, including the trash he married. The number $130,000 he claimed he knew nothing about. But the worse of it, she was stupid enough to take it. She could have sold the story for 10x's that amount to just one buyer. 4000+ times is the number of times he's been busted telling outright lies. His approval numbers are the lowest acheved by a US president. As much as they hated Obama, they hate trump even more. iPhone's already cost an arm and a leg. You think Apple is gonna absorb those tariff? All of Apple's iPhone's are gonna be $1000 soon and they may offer a cheat LCD versions for $800 next year. Those numbers, certainly according to you "speak for themselves". Not in a good way though. 80% of what is sold at Wal-Mart, comes from China. That means Wal-Mart is going to be just as expensive as other stores. Because believe me, the Walton's aren't gonna pay those taxes for you.

posted on Aug 20, 2018, 11:06 AM 0

15. Back_from_beyond

Posts: 1489; Member since: Sep 04, 2015

Here's better idea: round up all the unsold Apple devices in the country and destroy them. Then spread the word and let all the other countries affected by tariffs do the same.

posted on Aug 19, 2018, 12:43 PM 1

14. Sammy_DEVIL737

Posts: 1529; Member since: Nov 28, 2016

I would better sell it on Amazon and make money for my next phone instead of destroying it.

posted on Aug 19, 2018, 12:40 PM 1

13. BullDozer

Posts: 160; Member since: Dec 18, 2015

Don't see any protest there. Just waste disposal.

posted on Aug 19, 2018, 12:02 PM 2

12. Omarc07

Posts: 593; Member since: Nov 12, 2012

Best video is seen so far !

posted on Aug 19, 2018, 11:55 AM 0

11. ahmadkun

Posts: 711; Member since: May 02, 2016

Don't be a d*ck .. your money is already with them you destroyed your own property that doesn't harm them as much as it harms you.. all what you need is to stop buying from them anymore wich doesn't harm them anyway.. one more thing, at the end of the video there is another iphone ringing in someone's pocket.. uuuuha man this is stupid

posted on Aug 19, 2018, 11:43 AM 3

34. Finalflash

Posts: 4063; Member since: Jul 23, 2013

It might in the long term. If the users giving up the iPhone switch to Android, they might end up sticking with it in the long term. If people had kept their phones and things cooled down, they might have stayed with Apple. The fervor may become a symbol for those people to never buy another Apple product, because people remember emotional responses. So yea, this is big for Apple because Turkey was one of their bigger markets in Europe.