Trump Jr. likens Syrian refugees to poisoned Skittles

The Trump campaign has run on a platform of fear tactics, particularly about the migrant crisis.

Trump Jr., the eldest son of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, posted a graphic on Twitter featuring an image of a bowl of Skittles, with a caption equating Syrian refugees to poisoned candy, which sparked outrage among many on social media.

“If I had a bowl of skittles and I told you just three would kill you”, the image read.

Cue the candy-coated reaction, which ranged from the serious – the photo Trump used was taken by a refugee – to the sugary and silly.

If he could talk to Donald Trump, Kittos said he would ask him to apologize to Syrian refugees. It’s a dehumanizing sentiment. There are no known threats to national security in the US – or in Canada, which has accepted more than 30,000 Syrians since last November – linked to the resettlement of Syrian refugees.

Mars’ decision to inject humanity into its response might seem an obvious way to deflect controversy – but you don’t have to look far to find companies that have tweeted their way into trouble instead.

Kittos, who is now a British citizen, told the BBC he put the image on Flickr after taking it in his home studio. “In 1974, when I was 6 years old, I was a refugee from the Turkish occupation of Cyprus, so I would never approve the use of this image against refugees”.

“Is Donald Trump’s new campaign slogan “Fear The Rainbow”?” wrote Twitter user @AngrySalmond.

Mr Trump senior has sparked waves of criticism with his comments on race, immigrants and refugees, including calling for a ban on Muslim travellers to the United States.The brash businessman is also strongly opposed to plans by President Barack Obama to allow 10,000 Syrian refugees into the USA by the end of this month. Although he obviously supports the sentiment behind the analogy, it’s not one of his own creation.

She declined to comment on Trump Jr.’s comments beyond the statement Skittles released to the media last night. Like his supporters, Donald Trump Sr.is usually ready to jump the gun. Otherwise, we might have to welcome people who use dishonest tactics for their insidious ends: the Trump campaign.