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2015 Hashtags of the Year

2015 Hashtags of the Year: #AylanKurdi

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16/12/2015

#AylanKurdi

BBC Radio 4 - 2015 Hashtags of the Year, #AylanKurdi

How one picture changed the nature of the debate about migrants in Europe.

How one picture, showing three-year-old Turkish boy Aylan Kurdi dead on the beach, changed the nature of the debate about migrants in Europe.

#AylanKurdi picture - How one picture changed the nature of the debate about migrants in Europe.

On the 2nd of Sept, a picture showing a 3 year old Syrian boy dead on the beach first appeared on social media, where it became widely shared. Traditional media soon followed suit, and Aylan Kurdi's picture became the defining image of Europe's migrant crisis.

Credited with prompting a major shift in public opinion, it bolstered the #RefugeesWelcome movement, and sparked a response from Europe's leaders after months of shifting the blame. In Britain, within 3 days of the picture being posted, David Cameron announced that the country would welcome 20,000 more refugees by 2020.

But was it right to share the picture of a dead child in the first place?

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

Series looking at the impact of the hashtags that got millions talking.

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2015 Hashtags of the Year

#AylanKurdi

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