While news bulletins are now awash with images of Syrian migrants entering European countries to the sound of cheers and warm welcomes, one journalist still feels that more needs to be done in order to highlight the severity of the situation.
Owing to this, Ben Fletcher established a petition which calls for the UK government to swap controversial figure and mum-of-three, Katie Hopkins, for 50,000 refugees.
By referring to the columnist's less than empathetic reaction to immigration back in in April, Ben Fletcher hopes to rally people and remind the public that we are still not doing enough.
Katie, who outraged the public earlier this year by comparing migrants to cockroaches, became the subject of Ben's petition because he felt her disinterest helped communicate a serious message to the wider public.
"The petition was not set up to make light of the situation as some have suggested, humour is a great way to get a serious message across and can reach people who may otherwise not think about or respond to an issue; that is seen every year with events like Comic Relief and Children in Need," he explained.
Commenting on the issue of migrants, Katie once wrote: "Show me bodies floating in water, play violins and show me skinny people looking sad. I still don't care."
Leveraging her opinion in order to rally the public, Ben said: "If it gets even one more person talking about it and saying that we need to do more to help refugees or one more person donating to one of the causes then the petition will be a success."
Explaining the potential impact the petition may have, Ben said: "There are a lot of people who also feel that Katie Hopkins really has gone too far and crossed the like between free speech and what is just morally wrong to even think, let alone say aloud. The petition is giving people another chance to show that, while also saying we need to do more."
While acknowledging what some may consider a questionable approach, Ben explained that the motivation behind the establishment of the petition is simply the urge to help.
"If they [the public] want to show their appreciation for the humour behind it then donating to one of the causes would be the best way to do it," he finished.
It seems, however, the former Celebrity Big Brother contestant is less than fazed by the petition, tweeting: "Petitions are great.1 click & you're like, literally, clicking your mouse. Once. That's empowerment Right there! Boom!"
Response to the petition has been generally positive thus far, with almost 40,000 people committing their signature.
