Facebook’s seemingly selective support of victims of terrorism and other such global tragedies has seen the company coming under fire, after the bombing in the Turkish capital of Ankara has not inspired the social network to dedicate the same level of support to those affected as they previously displayed following the attacks in Paris.
The Ankara car bombings, which have killed at least 32 people and have wounded 125 more, happened in the capital’s Guven Park in the Kizilay district at 6.40pm local time. Though no group has come forward and taken responsibility for the attack, it is strongly believed that those responsible were members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Though Facebook turned on its Safety Check feature following the attack, allowing those living in Turkey to effectively inform their family members and friends that they were safe, the social network has been criticized for not displaying the same level of support as they did following the Paris terrorist attacks, which saw the company allowing users to cover their profile photos with an overlaid image of the French national flag.
James Taylor, a citizen of Ankara, specifically criticized Facebook users for not being as quick to pledge their support to the victims of the bombings as they have been with victims in Western countries. The post has since garnered around 75,000 shares on the site.
Taylor wrote: “Can you imagine the victims? The teenagers catching the bus to go home, the grandparents walking into town, the people waiting for a taxi after a long day laughing and socialising in the sun.
“Now imagine they were english, and this attack was in England. If these people were instead the people you see every day on your way to work, people just like you and I, normal, happy people. Families, policemen, students, artists, couples. Your friends maybe. These people are no different. They just happen to be Turkish.”
He concluded: “Ankara is my home, it has been for the last 18 months, and it will continue to be my home.
“You were Charlie, you were Paris. Will you be Ankara?”
Read the post in full below:
For those who do not know Turkey, or who distance themselves from these attacks, maybe this will open your eyes.The...
Posted by James Taylor on Sunday, 13 March 2016
Facebook had previously been criticized following the Paris attacks for not being as publicly supportive of previous global tragedies, specifically questioning why the company turned on their Safety Check for Paris but not for the attacks in Beirut. Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg personally responded to these criticisms, writing: "Many people have rightfully asked why we turned on Safety Check for Paris but not for bombings in Beirut and other places.
"Until yesterday, our policy was only to activate Safety Check for natural disasters. We just changed this and now plan to activate Safety Check for more human disasters going forward as well. You are right that there are many other important conflicts in the world.
"We care about all people equally, and we will work hard to help people suffering in as many of these situations as we can.”
