Main content

Saudi Arabia’s ‘Trash Boy Selfie’ and #Black Lives Matter

The Snapchat photo Saudi media are calling the ‘Trash Boy selfie’ goes viral, and the co-creator of #BlackLivesMatter explains how it has moved offline into a movement

This week on BBC Trending we look at stories trending in Saudi Arabia and America.

In Saudi Arabia a remarkable photo - the trash boy selfie – is making the rounds on Twitter and Instagram. Saudis have been outraged by the photo of a young Saudi Arab posing in front of a dumpster with a small African child in it. The photo has prompted a search for the girl under the hashtag #searchforJeddahchild – now tweeted over 200,000 times - and led to wealthy Saudi businessmen, and a famous Saudi rally driver, pledging thousands of dollars to the girl.

And in the US a video emerged this week of a white police officer in South Carolina shooting, and killing, a black man who was running away from him. The hashtag #BlackLivesMatter once again trended online and was used to highlight the issue of controversial black killings by US Police. Twitter users tell us their response to the killing of Walter Scott and BBC Trending speaks to co-creator of the hashtag, Opal Tometti who tells us why she felt compelled to create it. And we ask whether the global adaptation and appropriation of the hashtag has diluted its original message.

(Photo: Activists hold a rally to protest against police shooting Of Walter Scott In North Charleston. Credit: Richard Ellis/Getty Images)

Available now

18 minutes

Last on

Sun 12 Apr 2015 23:32GMT

Broadcasts

  • Sat 11 Apr 2015 17:32GMT
  • Sun 12 Apr 2015 04:32GMT
  • Sun 12 Apr 2015 09:32GMT
  • Sun 12 Apr 2015 23:32GMT

Download this programme

Download this programme

Subscribe to this programme or download individual episodes.

Podcast