VISA, MASTERCARD IMPACTED BY ANTI-ISRAEL BOYCOTTS IN TURKEY; DOMESTIC TROY GAINS

Sun 12 October 2023:

Visa and Mastercard cancellations are becoming increasingly prevalent among Turkish citizens, who are boycotting businesses and countries they believe are supporting Israel, country’s Yeni Safak publication reported.

A new boycott movement has begun against Israel, which continues its genocide in front of the eyes of the whole world. Consumers are switching to the national payment system TROY instead of shopping with Visa and Mastercard of the countries that support the crime against humanity committed in Palestine. Particularly groups organized on social media are calling for a boycott of Israeli-origin products as well as payment systems, which are one of the biggest sources of money for Western countries.

It is known that 4 percent of every purchase made through Visa and Mastercard payment systems goes abroad. Citizens, as a reaction to brands with Israeli capital or direct aid, want to switch to TROY so that the fees deducted from expenses remain in the country.

Banks are reportedly struggling with the surge in demand for Troy cards, Turkey’s domestic payment system established by the Interbank Card Center in 2015. This shift is a protest against the West’s support for Israel’s purported ‘right to defence’ after it was attacked by Hamas on October 7 that killed about 1200 Israelis.

Since targeting Visa and Mastercard, approximately 19 million new Troy cards have been issued, Yeni Safak report added.

Troy, Turkey’s sole domestic payment card, was launched officially in April 2016, providing financial services such as credit cards, debit cards, and prepaid cards.

On social media, the hashtag campaign #TroyKartaGeçiyoruz (#WeGoToTroyKarta) has gained momentum, in a reference to the country’s own payment system Troy.

TROY, whose usage area is becoming increasingly widespread, was introduced as the national card payment system in 2017. New banks and electronic money institutions using the TROY payment system are added every year. TROY has a total of 48 members. TROY, which is valid at all ATMs and POS machines in Turkey, has achieved another great success. While the number of TROY cards was 15 million in July, it reached 19 million as of October.

The development coincides with a related move when the Turkish parliament removed Coca-Cola and Nestle products from its campus restaurants, accusing them of supporting Israel.

This multifaceted protest reflects a growing pro-Palestine sentiment among the Turkish citizens.

Besides, the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said recently that Hamas was not a terrorist organisation but a liberation group fighting to protect Palestinian lands and people, in contrast to the fact that the militant-political organisation that rules blockaded Gaza Strip has been designated as a terrorist group by the US and collective West.

“Once all of this that is happening is finished, we want to see Gaza as a peaceful region that is a part of an independent Palestinian state, in line with 1967 borders, with territorial integrity, and with East Jerusalem as its capital,” Erdogan said earlier this month.

More than 10,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed in retaliatory attack launched by Israel on Oct 7 as per the claims of Hamas-run ministry.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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