Afghan Crisis Social Media Toolkit

Written By Camille Mackler

Evacuate Our Allies Rapid Response: Social Media Toolkit 
Updated August 27, 2021


OVERVIEW

Following a terror attack at the airport in Kabul that left 170 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members dead, and over 200 injured, President Biden has announced that he plans to keep the self-imposed August 31 deadline to end the evacuation and withdraw all remaining U.S. troops from Afghanistan. An evacuation on August 31 will leave behind thousands of allies and other at-risk Afghans to be targeted by the Taliban and other violent actors.

We call on the administration to prioritize the evacuation of our allies and other at-risk Afghans, many of whom face immediate threat of death, and to maintain U.S. support on the ground in Afghanistan until all allies, their loved ones, and other Afghans facing immediate danger have been safely evacuated to U.S. territory for processing.

KEY MESSAGES

  • NO DEADLINE FOR EVACUATION: The Biden administration must continue the evacuation until ALL our allies and other at-risk Afghans have been brought to safety. 

    • The Biden administration’s arbitrary, self-imposed deadline of August 31 is out of touch with the needs on the ground in Afghanistan, where thousands of innocent people are still in need of evacuation.

  • NO ONE LEFT BEHIND: Allies and vulnerable Afghans remain trapped in Afghanistan without means of getting out. We cannot leave them behind.

    • If the Biden administration withdraws U.S. troops and ends the evacuation on August 31, tens of thousands of allies and other U.S. affiliates, and their families, will be left behind. Ending the evacuation by this arbitrary deadline will assure the deaths of thousands of innocent people.

  • OUR EVACUATION WILL CONTINUE: August 31 may be the end of the official evacuation, but the evacuation doesn’t end on August 31. 

    • With help from the government and without, civil society’s efforts are getting people out. We are going to keep working to help our allies until we get this done.

  • SAVE AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE: The U.S. must evacuate all at-risk Afghans - including NGO colleagues and civil society leaders, human rights defenders, women, LGTBQ+ people, ethnic and religious minorities, our allies and their families, and others at risk - to safety.


SAMPLE SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS

Hashtags to use: 

#EvacuateNow 
#EvacuateOurAllies
#AfghanEvac
#KeepOurPromise

Accounts to tag: 

@WhiteHouse
@POTUS
@SecBlinken
@SecDef
@LIRSorg
@Vets4AmerIdeals 
@IRAP
@WartimeAllies

Tweets

  • @POTUS: We do not accept your evacuation deadline. Thousands of our allies and other at-risk Afghans are stranded in Afghanistan and face escalating danger. Time is of the essence. You must #KeepOurPromise and #EvacuateNOW.

  • @POTUS @WhiteHouse @SecBlinken @SecDef: Failure to act now assures the deaths of thousands. Continue the evacuation until all of our allies and other at-risk Afghans are safe in U.S. territory. #EvacuateNow

  • Veterans, advocates & Congressional champions told the Biden admin for MONTHS that they needed to execute a real evacuation plan. Now, thousands are in danger. @POTUS: continue the #AfghanEvac as long as it takes to bring our allies & others at risk to safety.

  • @POTUS we offered a plan months ago to evacuate our allies in a paced, thoughtful, secure way, before there was a crisis. Now we’re here. Your admin must ensure a safe means for vulnerable individuals to get out safely. #AfghanEvac

  • We cannot abandon the promises we made to our allies and at-risk Afghans in service of an arbitrary deadline. @POTUS: you must extend the deadline and continue evacuating as many people as possible. Lives depend on it. #AfghanEvac

  • August 31 is @POTUS’ deadline, not ours. We will continue the evacuation efforts to get as many people out as possible for as long as it takes. #AfghanEvac #KeepOurPromise

  • @POTUS did not tell us when to start these civilian efforts for the #AfghanEvac and he does not get to dictate when it ends. We will keep fighting for our allies and at-risk Afghans - every step of the way. #SaveOurAllies #AfghanEvac

  • Now more than ever, the danger of leaving allies, at-risk Afghans, and Americans behind in Afghanistan is clear. The US must follow through on its commitments and promises to our friends and allies in Afghanistan. #AfghanEvac

  • The mission is not complete. There are still thousands of Americans, allies, and at-risk Afghans in need of evacuation. We will not abandon them. @POTUS, how can you? #KeepOurPromise

  • We must not allow fear tactics and the actions of a hateful few halt the critical work of evacuating and protecting our allies, human rights defenders and at-risk Afghans. 

  • On the ground, in DC, and from every corner of this nation - we’ve been working tirelessly to bring our allies and other at-risk Afghans to safety. We’re going to continue as long as it takes. Whatever it takes. #KeepOurPromise #EvacuateNow

  • The #AfghanEvac isn’t over until all our allies and other at-risk Afghans have been brought to safety. Pass it on. #KeepOurPromise

GRAPHICS

Graphics for social media, and an infographic outlining who will be left behind if the U.S. ends its evacuation on August 31, can be downloaded from this folder.

RESOURCES FOR ALLIES & HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS

Sample Tweet

Allies & #HumanRights Defenders in #Afghanistan: Use these tools to protect your online identity from the Taliban.Please help us share these essential resources widely: https://www.humanrightsfirst.org/resource/steps-protect-your-online-identity-taliban-digital-history-and-evading-biometrics-abuses  (shortlink: https://bit.ly/StepsToProtect) 


Camille Mackler
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