President Obama Invites Syrian Refugee to State of the Union

Refaai-Hamo-AP
Mary Chastain

President Barack Obama has invited Syrian refugee Refaai Hamo, 55, to sit in Michelle Obama’s box during the State of the Union address.

Hamo left Syria in 2013 after a missile destroyed his home and killed seven family members, including his wife and daughter. He landed in Turkey, where he received treatment for stomach cancer. He arrived in Detroit, MI, last month after the U.S. government approved him for refugee status. He resides in the city with his four children.

However, the invitation comes after Syrian migrants sexually assaulted women in Europe on New Year’s Eve. In Cologne, Germany, at least 1,000 migrants released fireworks into a crowd and proceeded to sexually assault the women and rob the men. One woman, known as “Katja L,” said she arrived at the Cologne railway station, which was surrounded by “young foreign men.” She described the incident:

“We then walked through this group of men. There was an alley through [the men] which we walked through. Suddenly I felt a hand on my buttocks, then on my breasts, in the end, I was groped everywhere. It was a nightmare. Although we shouted and beat them, the guys did not stop. I was desperate and think I was touched around 100 times in the 200 meters.

“Fortunately I wore a jacket and trousers. a skirt would probably have been torn away from me.”

In Zurich, Switzerland, six women reported sexual harassment and molestation by “dark skinned” men. Authorities in Helsinki, Finland, also reported more than usual sexual harassment reports.

“Police have… received information about three cases of sexual assault, of which two have been filed as complaints,” explained the Helsinki police. “The suspects were asylum seekers. The three were caught and taken into custody on the spot.”

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