Syrian refugee Alan Kurdi's photograph sparks social media tributes
Tamara Baluja | CBC News | Posted: September 4, 2015 12:53 AM | Last Updated: September 4, 2015
Poignant tributes shared on social media with hashtag #HumanityWashedAshore
EDITOR'S NOTE (GRAPHIC WARNING): This story contains three graphic artistic renderings of a young boy who died and these images may be disturbing to some viewers. They are embedded in this story. CBC News has decided to include the photos to allow for the fullest understanding of the event, but we do want to give readers the option to not scroll down and click away if they don't want to see them.
On Wednesday, the photograph of a young boy face down in the surf, was trending globally.
We now know the boy is Alan Kurdi, a toddler and Syrian refugee, who drowned in Turkish waters after his family made a dangerous crossing to flee the civil war in their home country.
Their relatives in Coquitlam, B.C. desperately wanted to bring them to Canada.
The powerful, raw photographs have sparked outrage worldwide. Artists from all over the world are now sharing compelling and poignant tributes with the hashtag #HumanityWashedAshore and its Turkish equivalent #KiyiyaVuranInsanlik.
Here are some of those artistic renderings:
Calls for compassion
Tima Kurdi, the B.C. aunt of the young toddler, says her family should never had to pay for smugglers to make the dangerous crossing.
While Kurdi's young and delicate body has been a focal point for many of the artistic tributes, the conversation on social media has also moved towards how dangerous these crossings can be for refugees and the need to show some compassion.