Michelle Obama's viral pic fuels anti-drone campaign

Michelle Obama's viral pic fuels anti-drone campaign
Sat May 17, 2014 16:36:51

After US First Lady Michelle Obama appeared in a photo, seemingly expressing support to the 276 schoolgirls abducted by a Nigerian insurgent group, she was praised for taking a stand against the Boko Haram, though others swiftly challenged her message and turned it into a campaign against US assassination drone strikes.

The image of Michelle Obama holding up a sign that said "#Bring Back Our Girls" went viral on the internet last week, according to an RT report.

The hashtag rapidly spread online, hitting home with an online audience that had read about the tragic kidnapping of the Nigerian schoolgirls by a radical militant gang.

Her contribution to the ongoing conversation did not go unnoticed by critics of her husband, US President Barack Obama. Twitter users either photoshopped the image or held their own sign, posting pictures that raised various concerns on topics ranging from American conservatism, sports, and killer drones.

The Britain-based non-profit Bureau of Investigative Journalism announced earlier this year that, in the five years that Obama has been in office, at least 2,400 people across the Middle East have been killed by American killer drones.

Even critics admit that many of those killed may have been militants, although the strikes have unleashed unimaginable devastation on civilians and their families - particularly in Pakistan, where the assassination drones have greatly contributed to anti-American sentiment.

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Michelle Obama's viral pic fuels anti-drone campaignMichelle Obama's viral pic fuels anti-drone campaignMichelle Obama's viral pic fuels anti-drone campaignMichelle Obama's viral pic fuels anti-drone campaign
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