World

A refugee took that Skittles photo tweeted by Donald Trump Jr.

By Kate Irby

kirby@mcclatchy.com

September 20, 2016 03:04 PM

Donald Trump, Jr., son of Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump, lifts his fist after speaking during the second day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. J. Scott Applewhite AP

The meme comparing poisoned Skittles to refugees tweeted by Donald Trump Jr. was criticized by his father’s political rivals, the company that owns Skittles and now the photographer who took the photo Trump used.

The kicker? The photographer, David Kittos, is a refugee.

“In 1974, when I was 6 years old, I was a refugee from the Turkish occupation of Cyprus,” Kittos told BBC News. “So I would never approve the use of this image against refugees.”

The meme compared allowing refugees into the country to eating a bowl of Skittles knowing three were poisoned.

September 19, 2016
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Wrigley, the company that owns Skittles, said in a statement following the controversial tweet, “Skittles are candy. Refugees are people. We don’t feel it is an appropriate analogy.”

Kittos, who is now a British citizen, told the BBC he put the image on Flickr after taking it in his home studio. He said he isn’t on Twitter and was alerted to the image’s use by friends.

“This was six years ago when there were no Syrian refugees at the time and it was never done with the intention of spreading a political message,” Kittos said. “I have never put this image up for sale. This was not done with my permission, I don’t support Trump’s politics and I would never take his money to use it.”

Kittos said his family had to leave all their possessions behind when they fled Cyprus in 1974. He said he wants Trump to delete his image and not use it for a political message he doesn’t agree with, but doesn’t know if he’ll pursue legal action.

The Skittles image is listed under “all rights reserved” on Kittos’ Flickr account, which means he maintains all rights guaranteed under copyright law. That includes the right to make copies, distribute the work, license or otherwise exploit the image.

“This isn’t about the money for me. They could have just bought a cheap image from a micro stock library,” Kittos said. “This is pure greed from them. I don’t think they care about my feelings. They should not be stealing an image full stop.”