As Twitchy reported, a photo of a 5-year-old Syrian boy injured during an airstrike on Aleppo went viral this week, blanketing social media and ending up on the front page of the New York Times. The boy’s name, Omran Daqneesh, quickly became a trending hashtag, with many asking why so little has been done to prevent such tragedies.
Others, like Sally Kohn, saw an opportunity to score some cheap political points for the Hillary Clinton campaign. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, joined the pile-on on Saturday.
While Trump demonizes Syrian refugees- this -Omran Daqneesh, 5- is the face of Aleppo’s Suffering, via @nytimes https://t.co/4qfQGh2dHs
— Randi Weingarten (@rweingarten) August 20, 2016
Shame on Trump for demonizing refugees. After calling into a briefing on the resettlement of Syrians fleeing their country, the President of the United States assured citizens that security protocols were in place and scolded those who were “scared of widows and 3-year-old orphans.”
https://twitter.com/sampierstorff/status/766723316551790592
The whole point is moot, though, isn’t it, seeing as Trump holds no elective office and is trailing in the polls?
On Saturday, news spread that Omran’s older brother had died of injuries sustained in the same airstrike.
‘No story in Syria has a happy ending’: Brother of Aleppo boy who became the latest symbol of civil war dies: https://t.co/sMAh0XXb9y
— Louisa Loveluck (@leloveluck) August 20, 2016
This boy Omran survived. His older brother has died. And the world continues to watch, shedding tears, doing naught. pic.twitter.com/xC5NG5LPQb
— Kareem Shaheen (@kshaheen) August 20, 2016
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Why does western media only care about Syrian children when a photo goes viral? https://t.co/YTkKxmOV5l pic.twitter.com/qNpndnhrfH
— The Times (@thetimes) August 20, 2016
Good question – that includes London Times and all of us https://t.co/Pgb9FwMvpd
— Greta Van Susteren (@greta) August 20, 2016
Not for the faint of heart, but happens every day. #TheOtherOmrans #OmranDaqneesh Syria https://t.co/rzUWIhwAyW
— Anne Barnard (@ABarnardNYT) August 20, 2016
My name isn't #Omran#Syria #AssadCrimes pic.twitter.com/1iuAA9idIW
— Syrian Revolution Network شبكة الثورة السورية (@RevolutionSyria) August 20, 2016
Coincidentally, little Omran might have been born right around the time when Obama in August 2011 accused President Bashar al-Assad of “imprisoning, torturing, and slaughtering his own people” but insisted that it was “up to the Syrian people to choose their own leaders.”
5 years ago today, Obama declared: "the time has come for President Assad to step aside" https://t.co/BWN6AelNzB
— Brad Klapper (@bradleyklapper) August 18, 2016
President Obama did draw one of his red lines in Syria, but when it looked like Assad had stepped right over it, Rep. Nancy Pelosi issued this unprecedented passing of the buck to clear him of responsibility:
RepPelosi upon exiting meeting at White House: "PresObama didn't draw the red line, humanity did." #Syria
— Shannon Bream (@ShannonBream) September 3, 2013
Inspired by the photo of Omran, Sen. Dick Durbin this week urged President Obama to take action on his plan to resettle 10,000 Syrian refugees in the United States by the end of September … a deadline that’s coming up really quickly.
I've also urged @POTUS to fulfill America’s commitment to resettle 10,000 #SyrianRefugees by the end of September https://t.co/wpFu1WLy4i
— Senator Dick Durbin (@SenatorDurbin) August 18, 2016
Rest assured, while Trump continues to campaign, the president and the most qualified presidential candidate in history are ON IT.
In Martha's Vineyard today, Obama is hitting the beach and Clinton is attending fundraisers. So far, there are no signs of a meet-up.
— Colleen Nelson (@ColleenMNelson) August 20, 2016
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