Amid chaos, Parisians offer refuge to strangers via Twitter
PARIS – People in Paris took to social media to find and offer refuge on Friday night, as the city was gripped by chaos following a string of attacks that left dozens dead.
The Twitter hashtag #porteouverte, which means “open door” in English, was being used to offer shelter as authorities urged people to evacuate the streets.
The hashtag trended globally, with more than 400,000 tweets using it, in the few hours since its creation.
“This account will be used for tweeting and retweeting places to stay safe tonight,” said a post from @PorteOuverteFRA, a Twitter handle opened within hours of the attacks.
Dozens of addresses and phone numbers for apartments were being tweeted on the handle, and it was retweeting offers of accommodation from other individuals. Other
posts on the tag said taxis were offering free transport for anyone in need of a lift to shelter.
Meanwhile, social media giant Facebook yesterday activated its “Safety Check” feature allowing users to let their contacts know their status.
“My thoughts are with everyone in Paris tonight. Violence like this has no place in any city or country in the world,” said Facebook founder and chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg.
“We’ve activated Safety Check, so if you’re in Paris you can mark yourself safe or check on your friends and family,” he added.
The same feature was launched following the Nepal earthquakes earlier this year.
Filipinos have also turned to social media to join the global condemnation of the simultaneous attacks at the French capital.
Former climate change commissioner Yeb Saño, who is currently in Paris with a group of climate justice advocates, said all of them are safe following the attacks.
“To all loved ones and friends, this is to let you know that all of us are safe. Paris is under siege. We will keep you posted on developments in France. God bless the world,” he said in a Facebook post.
Still, some people found the process confusing amid the chaos.
“I’m not using the tag at the moment, but people are stuck in various areas and cannot leave, I hear,” said Alessandra Gargiulio, who was waiting for her landlord’s permission to open up her apartment for the night.
Gargiulio, 24, lives in the 24th arrondissement on the other side of the city from the attacks, but said she could see and hear helicopters and sirens from her apartment.
“We’re super scared here, it’s hell, but we’ll use the tag and it’s worth trying everything,” said Maria Vittoria Zanetti, 23, who had just become aware of the tag. Zanetti, also contacted over Facebook, is stuck at a friend’s apartment in the 2nd arrondissement.
Both Gargiulio and Zanetti, have used the Facebook Safety Check to let friends know they are safe. –