J.K. Rowling Petition Asking She Allow Refugees Into Her Home Has 29k Signatures
A J.K. Rowling petition asking that the Harry Potter author allow Middle Eastern refugees to live in her home has past the threshold of 29,000 signatures as of this writing.
https://twitter.com/alexkollet/status/833163283343540226
The petition on Change.org specifies that Rowling open her 18 empty bedrooms to 18 refugees in need, while at the same time suggesting she may want to think about building shelters for war-fleeing migrants on the vast amount of land she owns.
Why is this J.K. Rowling petition gaining so much support so quickly? The novelist has not made a secret of her contempt for President of the United States Donald Trump and his policies on North African and Middle Eastern refugees. She supports refugee relocation to the West, and this petition is a way for her naysayers to prove she’s a hypocrite they think she is because they obviously believe there’s no way she’ll allow a bunch of strangers from a totally different culture live with her in her home.
https://twitter.com/raheemkassam/status/833383994876166148
Frenchman Marcus Aurelius is the person who started the petition, and he writes on the petition page that Rowling is “a well-known advocate of open borders and [has] often stated that Europe has the duty to give every single one of these refugees from all over the Middle East asylum and welfare.” He goes on say that Rowling is quick to insult others who see things differently, shaming her for having the audacity to reprimand those who have alternate viewpoints from her own.
“Since she is a sheltered member of the rich elite, who is very much disconnected from the ugly reality of rape, murder and destruction which many of these refugees bring with them, we think that it is time for her to show some true solidarity.”
Aurelius then launches into how the refugee crisis will affect Europe. He doesn’t cite any sources for his claims, though it’s unclear if inserting links is possible on the Change.org platform.
He claims that in Britain, where Rowling resides, 250,000 housing properties will need to be erected on an annual basis in order to keep up with the flow of incoming refugees. Aurelius also says that taking care of migrants in Europe costs 10 times more than if migrants were to relocate to other nations and that donations from J.K. Rowling and other uber-wealthy citizens matter little, if at all.
It’s plain to see that Marcus is an angry man, as he calls out Rowling again and again for her ignorance and hypocrisy on the matter. He writes that the rich and famous push the media narrative that refugees are people in need who deserve the help of Western nations. He calls Rowling and like-minded journalists hypocrites who won’t ever know the struggles of the average citizen, who he says are the ones who must live with the ramifications of the migrant crisis day in and day out.
https://twitter.com/hmachaggis/status/833656252571987968
Aurelius and everyone who signs the J.K. Rowling petition “demand” Rowling allow in at least 18 Middle Eastern migrants to live with her for eight years. He says J.K. doesn’t believe in the vetting process, so she will not be able to vet whoever these refugees turn out to be. Additionally, Marcus writes that it’s important Rowling not be able to choose the refugees’ sex, and as such she’ll be stuck with 14 males and four females, as he says this is an accurate reflection of the people seeking asylum throughout Europe. According to Marcus, three-fourths of Middle Eastern migrants are male.
Interestingly enough, there is a second J.K. Rowling petition out there also related to the refugee crisis. When a Google search is done for “J.K. Rowling petition,” two Change.org results are yielded.
https://twitter.com/ruledonaldtrump/status/830788424118444033
The second petition, which has only 579 signatures as of the time of this writing, calls for Rowling to spend seven days at a refugee camp with no personal security in order for her to prove to the world that refugees are peaceful.
There are not specific dates provided for when these petitions were started, but the second one, launched by someone who calls himself Jason Anonymous, began a week ago, and Marcus Aurelius’ petition was started three days prior to this article being written.
Jason Anonymous says that after Rowling lives in a migrant camp for a week, “those who are staunchly against inclusion and acceptance will have no argument left.”
Perhaps, with the popularity of Aurelius’ petition, this other one will gain steam as well.
What do you think of these J.K. Rowling petitions? Do the petitioners have a point, or are they just bitter, resentful people who are victims of their own intolerance? Share your thoughts with us below.
[Featured Image by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images]