1. HappyFacts.co
  2. Articles
  3. The reaction of Syrian children amidst all the rage of Pokemon Go!

The reaction of Syrian children amidst all the rage of Pokemon Go!

The "Pokemon Go" phenomenon isn’t reaching everyone the same way. In Europe and the United States, millions are excited to play, but in Syria it took a completely different turn.

Illustration : "The reaction of Syrian children amidst all the rage of Pokemon Go!"
Photo d'illustration

In a country ravaged by war since 2011, just in the city of Manbij, UNICEF estimated the number of children trapped to be 35,000. Last week, 50 civilians, including mostly women and children were killed in air raids.

This awareness campaign was published on the web by the organization Revolutionary Forces of Syria Media Office (RFS). This is the rebel group fighting against the regime of Bashar al-Assad:

"With the huge media frenzy around the game of Pokémon Go, we decided to make and spread these images to shine a spotlight on the suffering of the Syrian people, who are bombarded every day by President Assad’s air raids", an RFS spokesman told the newspaper, The Independent, in Turkey.

Children from several Syrian cities are photographed with printed images of Pokémon. The images contain the city where they are and a call for help. It’s a very moving campaign with the agility to join the huge media frenzy caused by the game – with composure! Making fans of this game dance between their augmented reality and the murderous reality of these poor little ones...

This same campaign drew several reactions on the web, among others, from the Syria Solidarity Campaign (SSC), an NGO that is fighting for Syrian civilians and the visibility they deserve.

A bloodcurdling tweet:

Illustration de l'article : The reaction of Syrian children amidst all the rage of Pokemon Go!

"Syrians have more pressing concerns than catching #Pokémon. If only augmented reality could save lives."

Illustration de l'article : The reaction of Syrian children amidst all the rage of Pokemon Go!

Illustration de l'article : The reaction of Syrian children amidst all the rage of Pokemon Go!

Illustration de l'article : The reaction of Syrian children amidst all the rage of Pokemon Go!

Illustration de l'article : The reaction of Syrian children amidst all the rage of Pokemon Go!

Illustration de l'article : The reaction of Syrian children amidst all the rage of Pokemon Go!

Illustration de l'article : The reaction of Syrian children amidst all the rage of Pokemon Go!

Illustration de l'article : The reaction of Syrian children amidst all the rage of Pokemon Go!

Illustration de l'article : The reaction of Syrian children amidst all the rage of Pokemon Go!

Illustration de l'article : The reaction of Syrian children amidst all the rage of Pokemon Go!

Illustration de l'article : The reaction of Syrian children amidst all the rage of Pokemon Go!

Illustration de l'article : The reaction of Syrian children amidst all the rage of Pokemon Go!

Illustration de l'article : The reaction of Syrian children amidst all the rage of Pokemon Go!

Illustration de l'article : The reaction of Syrian children amidst all the rage of Pokemon Go!