Social media dislikes, disavows YouTube's viral video #MoreThanARefugee

With over 10 million views, video has 330, 597 dislikes compared to 118, 048 likes


News Desk June 22, 2017
Maryam, an Iraqi girl who is a refugee in Serbia. SCREENGRAB

A video highlighting the struggles faced by refugees and promote tolerance received exactly the reaction it was meant to address: bias against migrants.

Titled #MoreThanARefugee, the video, a collaborated effort by the International Rescue Committee and YouTube, received an overwhelming number of dislikes and negative comments hours after it was uploaded on the multi-media platform to commemorate World Refugee Day on Tuesday.

UNHCR set to start refugee repatriation tomorrow

The video features tales from Maryam, a young Iraqi girl living in Serbia who loves to rap, a father from Palestine, Hasan who lives in a camp in Greece and a young Sudanese football player named Catherine currently a refugee in Uganda. They speak about the journey from their homelands, the violence that forced them to leave and the struggle they endured to reacquaint themselves with life.

With over 10 million views, the video, at the time of writing, has 330, 597 dislikes compared to meager 118, 048 likes.

SCREENGRAB The video current has 330, 5797 dislikes. SCREENGRAB

The post has hundreds of comments bashing IRC and YouTube for the campaign.

Comments under the video. SCREENGRAB Comments under the video. SCREENGRAB

Afghan refugees suffer harassment, abuses

Comments under the video. SCTEENGRAB Comments under the video. SCTEENGRAB

The post has also been scrutinised on Twitter, with people calling it a propaganda video.

https://twitter.com/absolutelyCE/status/877316615402115072

https://twitter.com/RickyVaughn_II/status/877343707283861504

https://twitter.com/realEmilyYoucis/status/877292674616786944

READ MORE: Starbucks to hire thousands of refugees to serve Europeans coffee

Some people have accused YouTube of removing comments.



Watch the video here and let us know in the comments below what you think of it:

COMMENTS (4)

illpopo | 6 years ago | Reply @Saba: @BrainBro: Who is responsible for the massive movement that forced them to leave their homes? The west has utterly enjoyed bombing their homelands directly or indirectly which make them to run for life. It’s about time for west to pay for that, these people were living at their places regardless of whatever political or economic conditions they may have. It isn’t difficult to predict that in the coming ten to fifteen years European would be running for life!
Saba | 6 years ago | Reply @Saad: Keep living in your personal echo chamber...
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