From the lefty FT

Shocking image of drowned boy crystallises Europe migrant crisis

It has quickly become one of the most chilling images of Europe’s worst migrant crisis for 70 years: a photo of a drowned toddler lying face down on the sands of a famous beach resort.

The unidentified boy, in a red T-shirt and blue shorts, lay lifeless as the waves at Bodrum in Turkey washed over him and a policeman gingerly picked up his body. The child whose image dominated social media on Wednesday is believed to be one of around 12 people, presumed to be Syrian refugees, trying to reach the Greek island of Kos.

The photo taken on Wednesday was soon circulating on Twitter accompanied by hashtag #KiyiyaVuranInsanlik, or “humanity washed ashore” in Turkish, as well as “Mediterranean Sea of death” in Arabic.

Refugees fleeing war in Syria, Iraq and other conflict-ridden countries are coming to Turkey’s coast in record numbers to risk their lives crossing the sea and trekking by foot from Greece to Europe.

According to Reuters news agency, two boats carrying around 23 people set off from the Akyarlar area of the Bodrum peninsula, and so far five children and one woman have been confirmed dead. Citing a Turkish naval official, the agency said seven others were rescued while two in life jackets reached the shore. The fate of the others is unknown, but looks increasingly grim.

The surge of migrants and refugees seeking a new home in Europe has sparked heated debate over how to handle the crisis. Germany expects to receive 800,000 asylum seekers, some southern countries are struggling to cope with the flow across their borders while other EU nations are reluctant to accept more than a few thousand.

But the picture of the unknown child alone in the waves, in the wake of the decomposing bodies of 71 people being found in a van in Austria, may do more to stir public emotions than accounts until now of migrants meeting their deaths as they seek a new life in Europe.

With wars raging in Syria, Iraq, Libya and Yemen, many people, especially in the Middle East, will see the image as a cold commentary on world inaction.

“He fled the fire,” one Lebanese commentator on Twitter wrote. “So he died by sea.”

Hey "news" media, remember all those wars you supported, how many children died in those wars, how many children died in places like Iraq due to the lies you fuckers were so instrumental in spreading?