Instagram Campaign Launched to Build Awareness of Violence in Israel

Over the last few days, Israel has hit the headlines around the world due to the political bombshell that saw two rival political opponents join forces to form a government. But for some Israelis, the past week has had a completely different focus. Violence.

Following several violent and murderous events that spurred public shock and fear, there were some who felt Israelis needed to pause and think about how society can affect change. Using the popular photo sharing network Instagram, now owned by Facebook, one Israeli launched a striking photographic campaign called “Stop the Violence in Israel.” The campaign has seen hundreds around Israel post images worthy of art shows, all with the color red.

The initiative came from Ori Taub (@ok2088 on Instagram) a popular user. He tells NoCamels what brought him to launch the campaign: “After the previous weekend, during which there were so many violent incidents, I felt like I can’t just go on with my regular routine as if nothing happened. I wanted to protest.” According to Taub, “my goal was to raise awareness and make people stop for a moment to understand what’s going on here. In a way, I wanted to shock.”

Taub uploaded a photo to Instagram, in which he announced he is going to publish an image against violence on the following day. “Instagram is my emotional arena. I usually try to express my feelings with each picture I upload, and it was very clear to me that I want to express how I feel about the latest violent events. I realized this could be important for other people as well.”

Taub immediately received responses from his followers, who decided to help the initiative go viral. Around 20 other Instagram users used the photo Taub published to promote the campaign and to reach as many participants as possible. From that point, the word started to spread from user to user.

The head campaigners called for any user to upload a image that has some element of the color red in it – or one that puts the focus on a red object – using the hash-tag #stoptheviolenceinisrael. The next day, at the agreed upon hour 21:30, around 400 people joined Taub’s outcry.

“I have to admit that each participant took the project to a different artistic direction,” says Taub. He adds: “The outcome was very moving.”

Reprinted with permission from NoCamels.