The British press have been trying to whip up support for the migrants coming from Syria by printing their personal stories, but instead reveal how men have left their wives, young children and elderly relatives in the face of the ISIS threat. Many have taken to Twitter to slam the migrants as “cowards”.
Yesterday the Manchester Evening News recounted the story of Yasser Al-Jassem, a Syrian who “had to leave behind his wife and baby,” in order to make the “terrifying 3,100-mile journey” to Manchester over “37 perilous days.”
He claims to have made the journey after being urged by his family, but says he can now do nothing to help his family because his journey was simply “too dangerous”.
“Even my brother was killed by Isis. But I still say the Assad regime is the problem,” he said. “The solution for the world is to stop the holocaust in Syria.” He has also urged Prime Minister David Cameron to do even more: “I want to say to him: Refugees are victims, not criminals. It is humanity to help them.”
His story is similar to that of many young men making the journey, but the British public are growing tired of the media portraying the men as refugees when they are more accurately described as economic migrants.
— Michael Johnson (@MJohn59655) September 5, 2015
@MRWHOKIP @BBCNews virtually all of walkers were young men. Economic migrants not refugees. — Ian (@iancharris) September 4, 2015
Others are questioning the moral fortitude of men who flee a war zone leaving their wives, children and elderly relatives behind to face the enemy:
@bbc5live listening to that Syrian coward talk of leaving his 82 year old mum in Damascus made me feel ill
— Steve’s Right (@Steve_o_herts) September 4, 2015
Did the British flee in any war? No. Stayed firm to fight for the land they lived on. no sympathy for these Syrian coward men #RefugeeCrisis
— Jimmy Hackett (@jimmy_hackett) September 8, 2015
Big freaking deal Syrian complaining he has been in Serbia for 2 days. Send the coward back and make him fight for his country. #refugees — Apache (@apache_2005) September 8, 2015
Friendly reminder that every Syrian male aged 16-65 who is not in Syria is a deserter and a coward n deserves nothing but contempt and scorn
— Helma Lennartz (@Helma_Lennartz) September 7, 2015
@BBCNews That Syrian refugee, left his wife & kids to come here & he misses them? What a scumbag! Go home & be with them, what a coward!!!!
— Surrounded by Divs (@GaryMills65) September 5, 2015
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