news
06-25-2015, 09:33 AM
When Syria’s state news agency SANA started a Twitter campaign (http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/06/summerinsyria-social-media-campaign-fails-150623064928483.html) asking people to share photographs with the hashtag #SummerInSyria (https://twitter.com/search?q=summerinsyria&src=typd), they were probably hoping for cheerful, sunny snaps of people having a good time and enjoying the warm weather.
Their plan, however, backfired spectacularly. Instead of happy photos, the hashtag has been used to share images of a war-torn country rocked by years of death and destruction.
On June 22, SANA’s English-language arm sent out this message to its 15,000-plus followers.
Now that #summer (https://twitter.com/hashtag/summer?src=hash) is upon us, snap us your moments of summer in #Syria (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Syria?src=hash) using the hashtag #SummerInSyria (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SummerInSyria?src=hash) pic.twitter.com/sutvUuZUoj (http://t.co/sutvUuZUoj)
— SANA English (@SANA_English) June 22, 2015 (https://twitter.com/SANA_English/status/612946184043413504)
This has been the response:
(Warning: There are some disturbing images below.)
Now its #SummerInSyria (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SummerInSyria?src=hash) your master #Assad (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Assad?src=hash) welcomed it couple of days in Talbisa #Homs (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Homs?src=hash) with #BarrelBombs (https://twitter.com/hashtag/BarrelBombs?src=hash)
@SANA_English (https://twitter.com/SANA_English) pic.twitter.com/mohmBmxpSv (http://t.co/mohmBmxpSv)
— Fadi Al-Qadi (@fqadi) June 22, 2015 (https://twitter.com/fqadi/status/612953488759242753)
#SummerInSyria (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SummerInSyria?src=hash) @SANA_English (https://twitter.com/SANA_English) pic.twitter.com/R7ohB0aa3e (http://t.co/R7ohB0aa3e)
— Official Jargon (@OfficialJargon) June 22, 2015 (https://twitter.com/OfficialJargon/status/612949504078118912)
#SummerInSyria (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SummerInSyria?src=hash) Greetings from Homs
@SANA_English (https://twitter.com/SANA_English) pic.twitter.com/U4uwCeqUlC (http://t.co/U4uwCeqUlC)
— Majdi (@Majdi__M) June 23, 2015 (https://twitter.com/Majdi__M/status/613339015648006145)
Enjoy #SummerInSyria (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SummerInSyria?src=hash), as Assad & mercenaries continue 2 wage war on Syrians, killing/maiming/encarcerating +8mln ppl pic.twitter.com/ltOCHjAGo2 (http://t.co/ltOCHjAGo2)
— The 47th (@THE_47th) June 23, 2015 (https://twitter.com/THE_47th/status/613331577481768960)
#SummerInSyria (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SummerInSyria?src=hash) @SANA_English (https://twitter.com/SANA_English) pic.twitter.com/GkJEFjnx4o (http://t.co/GkJEFjnx4o)
— Official Jargon (@OfficialJargon) June 22, 2015 (https://twitter.com/OfficialJargon/status/612949259856429056)
#Ramadan (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ramadan?src=hash) in #Aleppo (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Aleppo?src=hash) - Breaking their fast while keeping an eye on the barrel-bomb filled sky. #SummerInSyria (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SummerInSyria?src=hash) #Syria (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Syria?src=hash) pic.twitter.com/sDIYC4YRHy (http://t.co/sDIYC4YRHy)
— Lina Sergie Attar (@AmalHanano) June 24, 2015 (https://twitter.com/AmalHanano/status/613768520397123584)
#SummerInSyria (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SummerInSyria?src=hash) Free puppet shows for the whole family.
#Cdnpoli (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cdnpoli?src=hash) #SKpoli (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SKpoli?src=hash) pic.twitter.com/42Bfq2cQDk (http://t.co/42Bfq2cQDk)
— Alana Bowker (@AlanaBowker) June 24, 2015 (https://twitter.com/AlanaBowker/status/613802191611015168)
I want to play, I want to be happy.
#SummerInSyria (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SummerInSyria?src=hash) pic.twitter.com/tuXdnwB5ge (http://t.co/tuXdnwB5ge)
— ??? ????. ?????. (@_bellemai) June 25, 2015 (https://twitter.com/_bellemai/status/613923928503775232)
.@SANA_English (https://twitter.com/SANA_English) Sunbathing! Enjoying the Syrian weather a few blocks from the presidential palace. #SummerInSyria (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SummerInSyria?src=hash) pic.twitter.com/BoRKE4BZYk (http://t.co/BoRKE4BZYk)
— Abdul (@al_7aleem) June 23, 2015 (https://twitter.com/al_7aleem/status/613340655612395520)
Assad & his state media want you to enjoy #SummerInSyria (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SummerInSyria?src=hash) pic.twitter.com/gcPU8dnPyz (http://t.co/gcPU8dnPyz)
— The 47th (@THE_47th) June 23, 2015 (https://twitter.com/THE_47th/status/613336618225635328)
Even the U.S. embassy in Syria contributed a photo:
Asad regime barrel bombs Al Bayan hospital in #Aleppo (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Aleppo?src=hash), kills 5 nurses + injures 1 doctor. #SummerInSyria (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SummerInSyria?src=hash) #Syria (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Syria?src=hash) pic.twitter.com/iqlRPhhEk3 (http://t.co/iqlRPhhEk3)
— U.S. Embassy Syria (@USEmbassySyria) June 23, 2015 (https://twitter.com/USEmbassySyria/status/613457937734967296)
The bloody civil war in Syria (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-26116868) is now in its fifth year, and it’s showing no signs of abating. More than 200,000 Syrians have been killed in the conflict and, according to Mercy Corps, more than 11 million have been displaced (http://www.mercycorps.org/articles/turkey-iraq-jordan-lebanon-syria/quick-facts-what-you-need-know-about-syria-crisis).
In May, the human rights group called the war “the worst humanitarian disaster of our time.” -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. (http://start.westnet.ca/newstempch.php?article=terms.html/) It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
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More... (http://feeds.huffingtonpost.com/c/35496/f/677045/s/478ef62b/sc/7/l/0L0Shuffingtonpost0N0C20A150C0A60C250Csummerinsyri a0Etwitter0Ecampaign0Ebackfires0In0I7660A0A0A40Bht ml/story01.htm)
Their plan, however, backfired spectacularly. Instead of happy photos, the hashtag has been used to share images of a war-torn country rocked by years of death and destruction.
On June 22, SANA’s English-language arm sent out this message to its 15,000-plus followers.
Now that #summer (https://twitter.com/hashtag/summer?src=hash) is upon us, snap us your moments of summer in #Syria (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Syria?src=hash) using the hashtag #SummerInSyria (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SummerInSyria?src=hash) pic.twitter.com/sutvUuZUoj (http://t.co/sutvUuZUoj)
— SANA English (@SANA_English) June 22, 2015 (https://twitter.com/SANA_English/status/612946184043413504)
This has been the response:
(Warning: There are some disturbing images below.)
Now its #SummerInSyria (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SummerInSyria?src=hash) your master #Assad (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Assad?src=hash) welcomed it couple of days in Talbisa #Homs (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Homs?src=hash) with #BarrelBombs (https://twitter.com/hashtag/BarrelBombs?src=hash)
@SANA_English (https://twitter.com/SANA_English) pic.twitter.com/mohmBmxpSv (http://t.co/mohmBmxpSv)
— Fadi Al-Qadi (@fqadi) June 22, 2015 (https://twitter.com/fqadi/status/612953488759242753)
#SummerInSyria (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SummerInSyria?src=hash) @SANA_English (https://twitter.com/SANA_English) pic.twitter.com/R7ohB0aa3e (http://t.co/R7ohB0aa3e)
— Official Jargon (@OfficialJargon) June 22, 2015 (https://twitter.com/OfficialJargon/status/612949504078118912)
#SummerInSyria (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SummerInSyria?src=hash) Greetings from Homs
@SANA_English (https://twitter.com/SANA_English) pic.twitter.com/U4uwCeqUlC (http://t.co/U4uwCeqUlC)
— Majdi (@Majdi__M) June 23, 2015 (https://twitter.com/Majdi__M/status/613339015648006145)
Enjoy #SummerInSyria (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SummerInSyria?src=hash), as Assad & mercenaries continue 2 wage war on Syrians, killing/maiming/encarcerating +8mln ppl pic.twitter.com/ltOCHjAGo2 (http://t.co/ltOCHjAGo2)
— The 47th (@THE_47th) June 23, 2015 (https://twitter.com/THE_47th/status/613331577481768960)
#SummerInSyria (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SummerInSyria?src=hash) @SANA_English (https://twitter.com/SANA_English) pic.twitter.com/GkJEFjnx4o (http://t.co/GkJEFjnx4o)
— Official Jargon (@OfficialJargon) June 22, 2015 (https://twitter.com/OfficialJargon/status/612949259856429056)
#Ramadan (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ramadan?src=hash) in #Aleppo (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Aleppo?src=hash) - Breaking their fast while keeping an eye on the barrel-bomb filled sky. #SummerInSyria (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SummerInSyria?src=hash) #Syria (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Syria?src=hash) pic.twitter.com/sDIYC4YRHy (http://t.co/sDIYC4YRHy)
— Lina Sergie Attar (@AmalHanano) June 24, 2015 (https://twitter.com/AmalHanano/status/613768520397123584)
#SummerInSyria (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SummerInSyria?src=hash) Free puppet shows for the whole family.
#Cdnpoli (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cdnpoli?src=hash) #SKpoli (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SKpoli?src=hash) pic.twitter.com/42Bfq2cQDk (http://t.co/42Bfq2cQDk)
— Alana Bowker (@AlanaBowker) June 24, 2015 (https://twitter.com/AlanaBowker/status/613802191611015168)
I want to play, I want to be happy.
#SummerInSyria (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SummerInSyria?src=hash) pic.twitter.com/tuXdnwB5ge (http://t.co/tuXdnwB5ge)
— ??? ????. ?????. (@_bellemai) June 25, 2015 (https://twitter.com/_bellemai/status/613923928503775232)
.@SANA_English (https://twitter.com/SANA_English) Sunbathing! Enjoying the Syrian weather a few blocks from the presidential palace. #SummerInSyria (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SummerInSyria?src=hash) pic.twitter.com/BoRKE4BZYk (http://t.co/BoRKE4BZYk)
— Abdul (@al_7aleem) June 23, 2015 (https://twitter.com/al_7aleem/status/613340655612395520)
Assad & his state media want you to enjoy #SummerInSyria (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SummerInSyria?src=hash) pic.twitter.com/gcPU8dnPyz (http://t.co/gcPU8dnPyz)
— The 47th (@THE_47th) June 23, 2015 (https://twitter.com/THE_47th/status/613336618225635328)
Even the U.S. embassy in Syria contributed a photo:
Asad regime barrel bombs Al Bayan hospital in #Aleppo (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Aleppo?src=hash), kills 5 nurses + injures 1 doctor. #SummerInSyria (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SummerInSyria?src=hash) #Syria (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Syria?src=hash) pic.twitter.com/iqlRPhhEk3 (http://t.co/iqlRPhhEk3)
— U.S. Embassy Syria (@USEmbassySyria) June 23, 2015 (https://twitter.com/USEmbassySyria/status/613457937734967296)
The bloody civil war in Syria (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-26116868) is now in its fifth year, and it’s showing no signs of abating. More than 200,000 Syrians have been killed in the conflict and, according to Mercy Corps, more than 11 million have been displaced (http://www.mercycorps.org/articles/turkey-iraq-jordan-lebanon-syria/quick-facts-what-you-need-know-about-syria-crisis).
In May, the human rights group called the war “the worst humanitarian disaster of our time.” -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. (http://start.westnet.ca/newstempch.php?article=terms.html/) It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
http://feeds.huffingtonpost.com/c/35496/f/677045/s/478ef62b/sc/7/mf.gif
More... (http://feeds.huffingtonpost.com/c/35496/f/677045/s/478ef62b/sc/7/l/0L0Shuffingtonpost0N0C20A150C0A60C250Csummerinsyri a0Etwitter0Ecampaign0Ebackfires0In0I7660A0A0A40Bht ml/story01.htm)