10 images that served as a catalyst for global change
Postmedia Network, First posted: Thursday, September 03, 2015 07:43 PM EDT | Updated:, Thursday, September 03, 2015 08:41 PM EDT, Source
There are few moments in history that captured the attention of the world in a most profound way.
Even fewer of those moments were captured in a single image that changed people's view on global issues with a snap of the lens.
On Wednesday, a photograph of a boy's lifeless body face-down on a tourist beach in Turkey - and then another of a paramilitary police officer carrying the deceased toddler up the beach - swept across social media and then newspapers around the world.
The boy, later identified as three-year-old Alan Kurdi, was among 12 Syrian refugees who died trying to reach the Greek island of Kos. Among the dead were Kurdi's five-year-old brother Ghalib and mother Rehan.
The images prompted an outpouring of not only sympathy for the family and the other victims, but also anger over the perceived inaction to help refugees.
The hashtag #KiyiyaVuranInsanlik - "humanity washed ashore" - became the top trending topic on Twitter.
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls posted to Twitter his view on Wednesday: "He had a name: Aylan Kurdi. Urgent action required - A Europe-wide mobilization is urgent," he wrote.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Kurdi reminded him of his own son, Ben, at that age.
Only time will tell if Kurdi's death and the sobering images will galvanize enough people to result in tangible change when it comes to global policy on refugees.
With that in mind, here are 10 images that did serve as a catalyst for global change.
- With Files from Reuters