Scuola Normale Superiore Refugees and forced migrants in the Western Balkans. Civic response to the refugee crisis in the Yugoslav successor states Chiara Milan Scuola Normale Superiore 2nd Annual Conference of the Western Balkans Migration Network “Migration in the Western Balkans: What do we know?”

Outline the Western Balkans route: an overview Grassroots responses to the refugee crisis: What kind of activism? Which factors account for civic response and cross-movement coalitions? Conclusions

Methodology WB route: September 2015-March 2016 In-depth interviews with key informants (activists, journalists, volunteers, refugees) Participant observation in the parks of Belgrade Under the umbrella of the ERC-funded project “Collective action and the refugee crisis”

The Western Balkans route WB corridor (late August 2015-March 2016) Closure of the Hungarian-Serbian and Hungarian-Croatian border (Sept. 2015) 760,000 migrants (2015)

Pro-refugee activism during the long summer of migration New actors, and already existing ones (human rights associations and groups; left-libertarian parties; solidarity movements; religious organizations) Mobilization across gender, national belonging and class

Macedonia, the entry point NGO Legis, NGO MYLA advocacy SOLIDARNOST left-wing organization Help the refugees in Macedonia FB page – virtual platform

Serbia, the bottleneck Refugee Aid Miksalište: first-aid, distribution centre Infopark: first-aid, food distribution, legal information

No border Serbia self- organized initiatives, contentious actions (No No border Serbia self- organized initiatives, contentious actions (No border hostel) Refugees’ protests and the March of Hope July 2016, October 2016

Croatia, a forced transit country Welcome! Initiative advocacy platform, legal support, policy proposals Are you Syrious? group first-aid, distribution group, “informal and friend-based network”, daily digests

Slovenia, the last transit hub ROG Autonomous Social Center –Anti-racist front without borders Central node for migrant organizing Second home: self- organized migrants place

Which factors account for the civic response? Emotions Space Resources

1) Emotional component Background as refugees or personal experience of displacement Identification with the migrants collective memory of forced displacement attribution of similarity that creates emotional linkages assignment of a common meaning

2) Space WB as countries of transit rather than countries of destination Position along the migrant route favoured the perception of a temporary migration -> migrants did not constitute a threat Migration framed as humanitarian rather than economic

3) Resources Activating existing networks -> re- activating networks at the community level Social media platforms -> facilitated the creation of coalitions in absence of direct relational ties

Conclusions CS response vs. state response New subjects Shifting focus of the existing ones Cross-national coalitions Online networking

Temporary nature of refugees’ presence (and passage) targeted actions no long-term strategies loose and ephemeral networks

Thanks for your attention! Chiara.Milan@sns.it