Sonny Bill Williams criticised for dead Syrian children photos
Rugby union star Sonny Bill Williams has posted graphic images of dead children on Twitter after a visit to Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon.
Williams, who played a starring role in New Zealand's Rugby World Cup win, was in Lebanon as a Unicef ambassador.
On Tuesday night he tweeted graphic images of two bodies, adding, "What did these children do to deserve this?"
But the UN children's agency objected to his use of the images, and said Williams had not consulted its staff.
"We see it as a fundamental infringement of those children's rights," Unicef spokesman Patrick Rose told the New Zealand Herald.
Although it was clear that Williams had been deeply moved by his visit to Lebanon, Mr Rose said it was better to provide a "positive framework for people to respond" by offering children clean water and counselling.
The rugby player also provoked a mixed response among his 556,000 followers on Twitter, with some users praising him for his honesty and others questioning his judgment.
Rugby union star Sonny Bill Williams has posted graphic images of dead children on Twitter after a visit to Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon.
Williams, who played a starring role in New Zealand's Rugby World Cup win, was in Lebanon as a Unicef ambassador.
On Tuesday night he tweeted graphic images of two bodies, adding, "What did these children do to deserve this?"
But the UN children's agency objected to his use of the images, and said Williams had not consulted its staff.
"We see it as a fundamental infringement of those children's rights," Unicef spokesman Patrick Rose told the New Zealand Herald.
Although it was clear that Williams had been deeply moved by his visit to Lebanon, Mr Rose said it was better to provide a "positive framework for people to respond" by offering children clean water and counselling.
The rugby player also provoked a mixed response among his 556,000 followers on Twitter, with some users praising him for his honesty and others questioning his judgment.