An audience member on BBC's Question Time lambasted the "ridiculous" argument that people are travelling to Europe from war-torn countries in order to take advantage of the benefits of living in countries such as the UK.
The woman's impassioned speech followed hedge fund manager Paul Marshall's comments that migration is placing pressure on housing, the healthcare system and schools as he backed Britain leaving the European Union.
He said: "The population forecast for the world for the next 20, 30 years is for it to go from seven billion to 10 billion. Most of those extra people are going to be in Africa. They are all going to have mobile phones and they are all going to be hearing about how great it is in the EU."
The audience member responded: "I can't believe what I have just heard, in all honesty."
The woman continued: "Everybody in Africa will have a mobile phone and will be able to tell each other how amazing it is in Europe? What a ridiculous statement.
"Do you understand that actually people in a lot of places, coming over through Europe, coming to our country are doing it because they are desperate?
"They are not doing it because they are having a little chat on Facebook about how amazing this country is."
Marshall agreed that some people were doing it because they were desperate, but added: "A large number of the migrants that are coming into Europe are actually the wealthier group of migrant, whether they be from Syria or Africa.
The audience member replied: "Syria is a war zone."
Marshall concurred.
The woman continued: "So you are telling me that the majority of people coming from Syria are doing so because they are wealthy?
"The majority of people coming from Syria are in fear of their lives."
Marshall said that the majority of those who are coming form Syria to Europe are the ones who can afford to get in.
He said that the ones who are in Jordan and around the Turkish border are the poorer people.
Marshall was criticised for his hypocrisy as he condemned anti-semitism while making a sweeping statement about Africans and Syrians.
Although some people did think he was talking "sense".
On Thursday's show, accusations of anti-Semitism within the Labour Party was discussed, with Andy Burnham saying that some people in the party had “made anti-Semitic comments”.
“These allegations, when they are surfacing, are not being dealt with properly and quickly enough. They need to be dealt with much more speedily in the future,” he said.
Burnham added: “If I thought for one second that I was a member of a anti-Semitic party I would cut up my membership card, right here, right now. I don’t believe that is the case.”
Burnham was speaking after Ken Livingstone was suspended from Labour for comments he made about Hitler and anti-Semitism.
