Political Protest in Asylum and Deportation. An Introduction

Abstract

European societies have been confronted with rapid social and cultural transformation, which took on a new magnitude with the "long summer of migration" in 2015.In general, the perceptions and experiences of change never go uncontested; change gives rise to conflicts and struggles over collective identities, policy, and legal responses. International migration flows and related issues such as asylum and the deportation of non-citizens have grown into one of Europe's most controversial and politicized topics. Political parties campaign on these issues, but there is also political protest articulated by movements, activists, grassroots organizations and ordinary citizens. These acts of resistance are gaining in qualitative and quantitative importance. They include voices for more liberal and open stances towards migration on the one hand, and voices calling for greater deterrents and coercive policy approaches on the other (Daphi 2016; Simsa 2017).However, although it has recently intensified, this contestation from below is by no means new. As early as the 1980s, migrants, citizens, and advocacy groups were siding with migrants and asylum seekers, promoting inclusion and legal and social rights. The same is true for the right-wing groups acting collectively against immigrants and asylum seekers, marching in cities, attacking accommodation centers, and petitioning for stricter asylum regulations towards newcomers. In short, there is a history of political protest around migration, which has intervened in political processes, challenged representative authorities, and affected public debate and policymaking (Kriesi 2011;Caiani and Borri 2016;Cinalli 2016).Research on political protest and contestation in areas like migration, asylum, and deportation constitutes a growing academic field. More recently, anti-deportation campaigns as well as migrant struggles and refugee activism have received a great deal of scholarly attention

The Refugee Reception Crisis : Polarized Opinions and Mobilizations

“…This subversive will pushes people "to dare to go against […] [political] decisions that are inhumane" (interview, volunteer, Zeebrugge, 21 January 2019), therefore putting "migration policy […] at the heart of the debate" (newspaper interview coordinator, Citizen's Platform, 16 April 2018). In particular, the deportation policy for asylum seekers whose applications have failed is seen as inhumane and is protested against (Rosenberger 2018): "these people were in distress, post-traumatic shock, etc. And what do we do?…”

Suffering and its Depiction through Visual Culture

“…The visual and artistic work considered here, which narrates and documents asylum seekers and refugees who are subject to state 'capture' and subsequently to a type of 'disappearance', lends itself to an analysis of a politics of resistance as well as one of reimagining the world. On the one hand, the politics of protest, resistance, or dissent is understood as a politics focused on the state, with advocating changes to state policy being the key driver (Tazreiter, 2010;Rosenberger, 2018). In this essay the focus will not be on policy change and advocacy for 'reform' in this traditional sense.…”

Asylum Policies and Protests in Austria

“…As elaborated in the introduction to this volume (Rosenberger 2018), the nationstate-as the legislative-is still the main legal proponent of asylum policy (and, consequently, the addressee of protests). Hence, despite the involvement of opposition parties, the media, and NGOs in the topic, representatives of the governing party are the most prominent actors and dominate the political debate regarding asylum and deportation (Götzelmann 2010, 161).…”