Banksy Made This Son of a Syrian Migrant the Focus of His Latest Piece

Anonymous, world-famous street artist Banksy wants to remind everyone that Steve Jobs was the son of a Syrian migrant. His latest piece was painted on a wall in France’s Calais refugee camp, also known as “the Jungle.” The caption accompanying a photograph of the piece on Banksy’s website reads: the son of a migrant from Syria.

Banksy hits the jungle in Calais – with a reminder of the benefits of migration from Syria #SteveJobs#c4newspic.twitter.com/WSMvKANQ0s

— Krishnan Guru-Murthy (@krishgm) December 11, 2015

Through this mural, Banksy has helped re-frame the conversation and draw attention to the refugee crisis. He released a statement, saying, “We’re often led to believe migration is a drain on the country’s resources but Steve Jobs was the son of a Syrian migrant. Apple is the world’s most profitable company, it pays over $7 billion a year in taxes–and it only exists because they allowed in a young man from Homs.” 

From an economic standpoint, some European countries have more jobs than its population can fill. It makes ethical and economic sense to take in more people.

Actor, poet, and musician Saul Williams makes a fair point, “[What] we always tend to forget is that with, you know, the arrival of new people, new energy there’s always new businesses, new markets and new things that occur.”

“It’s because of the diversity of the people that all of these things have taken root and that we’ve been able to blossom the way that we have and the pushback [against including others] is ludicrous."

While Jobs may be the son of a Syrian migrant, it should be noted that he never thought of his biological father as his “real” father, feeling closer to his adoptive parents.

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Natalie has been writing professionally for about 6 years. After graduating from Ithaca College with a degree in Feature Writing, she snagged a job at PCMag.com where she had the opportunity to review all the latest consumer gadgets. Since then she has become a writer for hire, freelancing for various websites. In her spare time, you may find her riding her motorcycle, reading YA novels, hiking, or playing video games. Follow her on Twitter: @nat_schumaker

Photo Credit: Banksy