HBO's John Oliver Slams Fox News For “Reduc[ing] The Migrant Population” To A Terrorist Stereotype

Oliver: “You Don't Get To Claim That You're Not Calling Those People Terrorists When Your Lower Third Says 'Terrorists Inbound?'”

From the September 27 edition of HBO's Last Week Tonight:

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JOHN OLIVER: And here in the U.S., some in the media have chosen to reduce the migrant population to one simple stereotype.

KRISTIN FISHER: A new video sufaces online showing why some are worried Europe is opening its doors to potential terrorists. Those are reportedly Muslim refugees on a train in Europe, chanting “Allahu Akbar,” or “God is great.” Now, to be clear, we're not saying that any of those people are terrorists or in any way affiliated with a terror group, but it does highlight just how many of these refugees who are fleeing violence in Iraq and Syria are Muslim.

OLIVER: OK, first, you don't get to claim that you're not calling those people terrorists when your lower third says, 'Terrorists Inbound?' question mark. If you're really not saying they're terrorists, maybe change that to something more accurate, like 'People Take Train,' or 'Some Wear Hats, Others Less So.' And second, describing that as a new video that sheds light on the migrant crisis is a little misleading, because in researching this story, we found a version of that same video uploaded onto YouTube back in 2010, well before this migrant crisis even began. And, if you are going to use misleading, old footage to make people frightened of Muslims, why stop there? Just go the whole way and use a clip from True Lies.

Previously:

Fox & Friends Suggests Chanting “Allahu Akbar” Shows Refugees May Be Terrorists

Fox News Exploits European Refugee Crisis To Stoke Islamophobic Fear That Muslim Refugees May Be Terrorists

Bill O'Reilly Labels The Refugee Crisis In Europe As “The Dramatic Muslim Invasion”