Angry Reactions To ‘Refugees Are Scum’ Experiment

A provocative video filmed in Sydney, titled the “’Refugees are scum’ social experiment” has reached over 1.5million people on Facebook in its first week.

Angry reaction: A businessman challenges the ‘protester’ in front of Sydney’s Town Hall.

Filmed outside Sydney’s Town Hall, the video shows a man wearing placards emblazoned with the words “REFUGEES ARE SCUM” and handing out leaflets. 

Passers-by react with anger and one bold businessman finally rips it off the young protester, to the applause of other pedestrians.

In the next scene, the man wears a new placard reading “HELP REFUGEES” instead, and again handing out leaflets – but failing to attract much attention or support at all. 

Watch the video:

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The video was an experiment by the international aid agency Act For Peace, designed to demonstrate that many Australians hold beliefs about refugees’ human rights, yet don’t put those beliefs into practical action.

It had been viewed over 860,000 times at the time of writing.

Director Alistair Gee said that “many Australians are angry about how refugees are treated; this video reminds us that caring about these issues is not enough. To make a real difference we need to act.”

The organisation is promoting its “Ration Challenge” campaign, in which participants will spend a week eating only the rations that a Burmese refugee is given in camps on the Thai-Burma border.

Those meagre rations consist of just a small amount of rice, flour, salt, fish, split peas and oil.

The Ration Challenge takes place during Refugee Week, from 14-20 June. 

Money raised goes to help provide rations, seeds, tools and training to make sure Burmese refugees have enough to eat.

To participate, go to actforpeace.rationchallenge.org.au. 

According to Act for Peace, $432 could provide two Burmese refugees living in a refugee camp with food rations for an entire year. 

Act for Peace is the international aid agency of the National Council of Churches in Australia.