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Australian reality TV stars 'shot at' by ISIS in Syria

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The Australian program aims to show what life is like for a refugee.

Australian public broadcaster, SBS defended the reality show where participants were shot at by ISIS militants in Syria. The incident was said to be a part of a trip retracing refugees' journeys and that those involved had wide security provisions.

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Highlights

By Nikky Andres (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
Catholic Online (https://www.catholic.org)
7/29/2015 (8 years ago)

Published in Middle East

Keywords: syria, war, refugees, security, Australian, documentary

MUNTINLUPA, PHILIPPINES (Catholic Online) - The program wanted to take "ordinary Australians" to Syria, Baghdad and Myanmar and expose them to asylum-seekers and refugees' experiences. The broadcaster shared footage that showed three of the six participants running and seeking shelter behind buildings amid the chaos in Syria.

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According to the broadcaster, "the safety of the participants and crew was 'paramount,' after an Australian security consultant reviewed the footage and said there was 'substantial risk... with the deployment' and 'appropriate controls were not implemented,'" according to AFP.

SBS explained in a promotional ad that those taking part in the show were "escorted under security to the Syrian frontlines by Kurdish soldiers, as they defend a village under threat by ISIS... and come under fire by nearby ISIS insurgents." SBS added that the group was convoyed by a private security firm during their Syria trip.

Kim Vuga, an anti-refugee campaigner, was a participant for the show's Syria trip, said that the "worst part was going as close as we could and knowing that their bullets could reach us."

Michael Cordell, the show's executive producer, stated that the makers were trying to "put a human face to a pressing global problem," adding, "We... hope it contributes to an intelligent and informed conversation."

The United Nations noted, earlier this month, that more than four million Syrians have fled the civil war in Syria, making them the biggest refugee population from a single conflict in a generation.

The documentary series, which won a global Emmy for non-scripted entertainment in 2013, is now in its third season. The program had previously took people to Afghanistan, Somalia and Indonesia.

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