I’m Syrian-American and I hate it when people say “the Syrians” when they really mean the barbaric Assad regime. I do, however, think it’s more out of stupidity than malice; it stems from a statist worldview rather than an intentional desire to demonize the people subject to a given state’s rule.
I agree that saying "the Syrians" feels incorrect, but how do you feel about saying just the name of the country as shorthand for the country's government? For example
America donated fidget spinners to Syra
vs
The American government donated fidget spinners to the Syrian government
(but not 'The Americans donated fidget spinners to the Syrians')
