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Migrant crisis: Social media lashes out at world leaders with powerful pictures of Aylan Kurdi

Migrant crisis: Social media lashes out at world leaders with powerful pictures of Aylan Kurdi

By :  DC Correspondent
Update: 2015-09-04 07:20 GMT
The images of a tiny child lying face down in the surf at one of Turkey's main tourist resorts have been printed on the front pages newspapers across the world, putting a human face on the dangers faced by tens of thousands of desperate people who
Various hashtags, including #AylanKurdi, #KiyiyaVuranInsanlik, and #RefugeesWelcome, have been a huge part of social media since news broke of the tragedy. Many artists have also come to the forefront with powerful artistic representations of the
Europe is facing a huge influx on all sides, with more than 350,000 people crossing the Mediterranean in flimsy boats this year alone, the International Organisation for Migration says.
Turkey is host to 1.8 million refugees from the conflict in neighbouring Syria. On a visit to Greece, which has seen the largest number of migrant arrivals in the EU, European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans said Europe was facing an "
"European countries, which turned the Mediterranean Sea -- the cradle of ancient civilisations -- into a migrant cemetery are party to the crime that takes place when each refugee loses their life," he said in a speech.
The picture of Aylan's lifeless body, face-down on the sand sent shock waves across social media and dominated front pages around the world. It also prompted a furious reaction from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Abdullah reportedly paid smugglers twice before to get him and his family to Greece, and when that didn’t happen, they tried to get there again. According to reports, they made their way through Turkey and had to cross a couple of miles through the
Kobani, where the family escaped from, has been the site of brutal fighting between ISIS and Kurdish forces. In January, Kurdish forces took control of the city away from ISIS after four months of fighting, but the destruction left behind is
Canadian media reported that the child's family had tried in vain to join relatives in Canada — where the government has come under fire for failing to take in more Syrian refugees.
His family and he tried to cling on to the boat but it was fast deflating. He could hear their screams for help. He tried to swim to the shore but when he landed his wife and children were nowhere to be found.
The father said his children "slipped through his hands" as their boat was taking in water en route to Greece. "I was holding my wife's hand. But my children slipped through my hands," said Abdullah Kurdi.
His five-year-old brother Galip and his mother Rihan, 35, have also been identified as being among the 12 Syrians trying to reach Greece who died when their boats sank. The family had been reportedly trying to emigrate to Canada.
The boy, wearing a red t-shirt and blue shorts, was identified as three-year-old Aylan Kurdi from Kobani, a war-torn Kurdish town on the Turkey-Syria border.
Migrant crisis: Social media lashes out at world leaders with powerful pictures of Aylan Kurdi

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