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Tuesday, September 1, 2015

For many refugees, journey to Europe begins on Facebook

By Naline Malla, Ayla Jean Yackley, Marton Dunai and Aleksandar Vasovic BEIRUT/ISTANBUL/BUDAPEST/BELGRADE (Reuters) - Would-be refugees hoping to flee war in the Middle East are using Facebook as their compass for finding the people smugglers they hope will get them to a better life in Europe. The U.S.-based website and other social media that were once used to help mobilise the "Arab Spring" uprisings now host information services for those escaping the Syrian civil war and other conflicts in the region. In Facebook groups set up in Arabic, users post phone numbers of contacts they say can take refugees from the Turkish coast to nearby Greek islands or even further into Europe, a continent struggling to cope with the migration crisis.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT uk.news.yahoo.com