Father fed up with his sons' obsessions with 'Call of Duty' computer games takes them to SYRIA & ISRAEL
A father took his two young sons who are fans of war games to Israel and Syria to a dramatic bid to teach them about the harsh realities of war and the devastation caused by the use of guns.
Carl-Magnus Helgegren is a Swedish journalist, university teacher, and a father of two boys, Leo, 11 and Frank, 10.
Mr Helgegren told MailOnline that was inspired to take his sons on the trip after they asked if they could buy the new violent shooter game when they were eating dinner last year and he became concerned that they did not understand the impact of war.
He decided to make a bet with his two sons - if they visited an area which has been plagued by war and tension and spoke to citizens there, then they would be able to play any video game they desired on their return.
The pair agreed and the family - including the children's mother Elisa who Mr Helgegren is separated from - embarked on the ten day visit to Israel and the Golan Heights in the occupied parts of Syria.
'When I presented this idea at first she hesitated she said "Is it safe?" But she said she would come along to be there for the children so we both did it together. We did it for the sake of our children.'
'I wanted to show them the negative effects war has once the guns and the canons have silenced,' Mr Helgegren told MailOnline.
'The people affected are someone's father and brother and sister and mother.'
The family arrived in Israel in April before the most recent round of fighting broke out.
Mr Helgegren, who has worked in the Middle East as a freelance journalist, is careful to stress the trip was not political.
'We started in Jerusalem and stayed with an Israeli family,' Mr Helgegren explains.
'I wanted them to meet all parts of society. Then we went to Shuafat refugee camp where water was at a shortage at the time and they had to got through a checkpoint.'
The residents of the Shuafat refugee camp are technically part of the Jerusalem municipality.
But they live outside the massive West Bank separation barrier that Israel has built.
So Israeli services are sparse, yet Palestinian authorities are barred from operating there or developing the water system.
Mr Helgegren said he took his sons to a clinic in the camp and asked medical staff to explain what it is like for children their age to live there.
'They were told about three boys who were in wheelchairs after being shot through the spine with rubber bullets. He explained it to them by saying "No more football practice"'.
The father said he told his sons: 'You don't see this in the game but this is what you can use a gun for. Guns are being pointed at children your own age.'
'I wanted to show them how you can use guns to uphold something. I am not trying not to make it a political issue. It is about oppression.
'I don't like the normalisation of guns. I do not believe in a world without weapons where guns are used as flower pots. But why should children be exposed to guns and violence several hours a day?'
The family also went to the Mjadal Shams in the Golan Heights - the rocky plateau has at least 2,000 mine fields.
They spoke to young men and women who had grown up during the Occupation and Mr Helgegren says his sons were interested to hear the stories of the difficulty people experienced in not being able to see their families.
Since writing of his experience on his return to Sweden, Mr Helgegren has been hit by an onslaught of incensed parents and aggravated tweets, but he says it is people who misunderstand his views and can not comprehend the safety of the trip.
'These are my children so I do whatever I find to be the best for them. Stop being naive,' he says.
'We went in April when when it was not the situation it is now and I had been there twice before and never felt unsafe.
'If there had been a war I wouldn't have gone. People who have never been there think people are shooting all the time everywhere.
'It's not the case - you could be a 90-year-old woman and go there to see the sights and it not be dangerous.
Mr Helgegren said on his return to Sweden his sons told him they did not want to buy the game and have been shocked by the recent fighting in the region.
'They ask me all the time about news out there - it has made the aware of a conflict that even many adults do not fully understand.
'Not everyone has to go to Middle East to teach their children about war games. But why normalise guns for children. Everybody is playing them and they are part of our children's lives. Why are parents not making this a problem?'
Carl-Magnus Helgegren is a Swedish journalist, university teacher, and a father of two boys, Leo, 11 and Frank, 10.
Mr Helgegren told MailOnline that was inspired to take his sons on the trip after they asked if they could buy the new violent shooter game when they were eating dinner last year and he became concerned that they did not understand the impact of war.
He decided to make a bet with his two sons - if they visited an area which has been plagued by war and tension and spoke to citizens there, then they would be able to play any video game they desired on their return.
The pair agreed and the family - including the children's mother Elisa who Mr Helgegren is separated from - embarked on the ten day visit to Israel and the Golan Heights in the occupied parts of Syria.
'When I presented this idea at first she hesitated she said "Is it safe?" But she said she would come along to be there for the children so we both did it together. We did it for the sake of our children.'
'I wanted to show them the negative effects war has once the guns and the canons have silenced,' Mr Helgegren told MailOnline.
'The people affected are someone's father and brother and sister and mother.'
The family arrived in Israel in April before the most recent round of fighting broke out.
Mr Helgegren, who has worked in the Middle East as a freelance journalist, is careful to stress the trip was not political.
'We started in Jerusalem and stayed with an Israeli family,' Mr Helgegren explains.
'I wanted them to meet all parts of society. Then we went to Shuafat refugee camp where water was at a shortage at the time and they had to got through a checkpoint.'
The residents of the Shuafat refugee camp are technically part of the Jerusalem municipality.
But they live outside the massive West Bank separation barrier that Israel has built.
So Israeli services are sparse, yet Palestinian authorities are barred from operating there or developing the water system.
Mr Helgegren said he took his sons to a clinic in the camp and asked medical staff to explain what it is like for children their age to live there.
'They were told about three boys who were in wheelchairs after being shot through the spine with rubber bullets. He explained it to them by saying "No more football practice"'.
The father said he told his sons: 'You don't see this in the game but this is what you can use a gun for. Guns are being pointed at children your own age.'
'I wanted to show them how you can use guns to uphold something. I am not trying not to make it a political issue. It is about oppression.
'I don't like the normalisation of guns. I do not believe in a world without weapons where guns are used as flower pots. But why should children be exposed to guns and violence several hours a day?'
The family also went to the Mjadal Shams in the Golan Heights - the rocky plateau has at least 2,000 mine fields.
They spoke to young men and women who had grown up during the Occupation and Mr Helgegren says his sons were interested to hear the stories of the difficulty people experienced in not being able to see their families.
Since writing of his experience on his return to Sweden, Mr Helgegren has been hit by an onslaught of incensed parents and aggravated tweets, but he says it is people who misunderstand his views and can not comprehend the safety of the trip.
'These are my children so I do whatever I find to be the best for them. Stop being naive,' he says.
'We went in April when when it was not the situation it is now and I had been there twice before and never felt unsafe.
'If there had been a war I wouldn't have gone. People who have never been there think people are shooting all the time everywhere.
'It's not the case - you could be a 90-year-old woman and go there to see the sights and it not be dangerous.
Mr Helgegren said on his return to Sweden his sons told him they did not want to buy the game and have been shocked by the recent fighting in the region.
'They ask me all the time about news out there - it has made the aware of a conflict that even many adults do not fully understand.
'Not everyone has to go to Middle East to teach their children about war games. But why normalise guns for children. Everybody is playing them and they are part of our children's lives. Why are parents not making this a problem?'
Music : Dark Fog by Kevin MacLeod
Source : DailyMail , Expressen
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