[Independent Journal Review] On Wednesday, Marine veteran Steven Gern posted a video to his Facebook page that outlined his thoughts on President Trump's recent executive order on immigration.In the video, Gern stated that he currently works in Iraq and claimed that, just like America, there's a lot going on over there, too. We just don't see it.
His video was posted as a reflection on a conversation he had with Iraqis. First, he described their viewpoint:
"A lot of the Iraqis showed their displeasure in this executive order, and why they feel like they’ve been betrayed by the United States."
After he listened to their opinions, he said he got an answer, "without hesitation," to a simple question he had. He asked, "as an American, if I went out in town right now, would I be welcome?" They answered:
"Absolutely not, you would not be welcome."
When asked, "What would happen if I went in town?" The Iraqis provided him a timeline:
Locals would snatch him up
Torture him
Kill him within an hour - probably a beheading
It would be filmed for everyone to see
Gern highlighted that this isn't ISIS or al-Qaeda making these claims; it's the local populace. This led him to his final question:
"If you would do this to me, in your country, why would I let you in my country?"
His video's purpose was to inform Americans about what's taking place in one of the seven "banned countries" highlighted in President Trump's executive order.
By the next day, Gern's video had garnered over 35 million views, according to the Daily Wire. The viral video has since been taken down by YouTube for violating "hate speech" rules.