Street named after Twitter account

The world’s first street has been named for a Twitter account. In order to raise funds, the West Bank Palestinian refugee camp of Askar lets outsiders pay to have streets named after them. Palestinian-Dutch Twitterer Arjan El Fassed paid 100 Euros to have his Twitter account emblazoned on a street sign in the camp of 14,629.

Naming rights are granted through the Dutch website Jouw Straat Naam (Your Own Street Name), which currently has rights to 166 more streets in the camp. For a 100 Euro donation, individuals can have a street named for whatever they want — with the usual profanity/hate speech exceptions — and receive two pictures of the street. Proceeds are given to the Palestinian Child Care Society. According to El Fassed, via Wired:

To fund “cultural and expressive after-school activities” for the up to 1,000 children in the camp at its youth center. Part of the program’s allure, he says, is that the corresponding street signs are temporary. “Since a refugee camp by definition should not remain permanent, selling street names of the camp is a creative way to connect people and support these children after school,” said Arjan El Fassed. “Naming the street to my Twitter account is a symbolic way to connect both online and offline with the children of Askar.”

Askar is located outside of Nablus and was founded in 1950 by refugees from the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Despite being more than 60 years old, most residents in the camp still receive United Nations food rations. During the Second Intifada, the Israeli military was involved in regular conflicts with Palestinian gunmen in Askar.