Blog Posts

FASCISTS in Šid: Tensions in Serbia

9/11/2020

The tiny border town of Sid, Serbia.

“Once a king or queen of Narnia, always a king or queen of Narnia.”

CS Lewis’ words about belonging can be applied to No Name Kitchen volunteers, I’m NNK for life now, and I try to keep up with the rapidly changing situation in all our bases. (see? I said ‘our’). Šid is sounding pretty difficult right now. Volunteers are being hassled by locals and authorities, plus the situation for people-on-the-move (PotM) both in and out of camps, is increasingly problematic. Here’s a bit more about what’s going on there right now.

A fascist youth group called “Omladina Shida” (Youth of Sid), has recently called for the removal of NNK volunteers from Šid as well the removal of migrants from the municipality.

As reported in Serbia publication Danas – the youth group organised a protest which took place on Sunday 1st November 2020 where they called for the military to be returned to the area. When I was there in June and July, the military were stationed outside of each of the camps supposedly to help with Coronavirus measures, although in reality it had more do with the imminent election. The youth group referred to this, saying:

"The President of the Republic sent the army only as a pre-election marketing trick to collect our votes and to guard those reception centers because the police do not have the capacity to do that,".

They also demand that people not be allowed to return after being deported from Croatia or Hungary – citing fears over the increased Coronavirus numbers in both of those countries as the reason for this.

PotM who once went into town regularly to purchase food and other essential items, now report being scared to do so. In the summer, it was possible to meet friends from the Family Camp in cafes in town. Even while I was there, this became more difficult and recently it was reported that it was impossible to get a haircut from anyone in the town. The situation with both local people and the police has worsened further, one young man living in the jungle said, “if we go into town, they will beat us.”

Train Tracks to Croatia. Sid always did a great sunset.

NNK have reported a dramatic increase in pressure from both locals and police. Photos and videos of volunteers, taken without consent, have appeared on Facebook and Instagram. Not only have police attended and disrupted distributions of food, they have also served six or seven volunteers with removal papers, giving them seven days in which to leave the country. My favourite quote from the article describes NNK as:

"That foreign non-governmental organization of former, current and future drug addicts and losers."

NNK organised an event on Sunday 8th November 2020 as a response to the youth group’s protest and in order to build links with local people. They wanted to explain their work and open up dialogue to discuss the issues felt on both sides. They were subject to insults from onlookers and were told to leave by police. The delightful Mayor of Šid has been driving by the volunteer house in his car, causing stress to those living there. Just like he did to me and Stef on our last day in the town. We were standing outside Family Camp, at an appropriate distance, saying goodbye to our friends. The Mayor drove right up to us, flashed his lights, honked his horn and filmed us from inside the car. He also refused to talk to us about why he was doing this and eventually we left so as not to cause stress to those in the camp.

My own experiences with Serbian people overall was very positive. Almost everyone said 'hello' (well, acutually Zdravo or Dobra dan) on the street and helped with directions when I looked lost. Several incidents of particular kindness come to mind, when my poor little car had a few problems: once being fixed for nothing, another time some passing workmen changing the wheel when I had a flat tyre. Free fruit was a common theme, not to mention the tireless efforts of the team at social justice NGO KlikAktiv who seem to work night and day to help PotM and volunteers, whatever their questions or problems. I sincerely hope that things improve in Šid for the sake of everyone. My good wishes and strong thoughts go to the volunteers and the PotM there now. Keep strong!

Have you got any questions about the situation in Serbia? Or about my time there? Let me know, comment below.

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Winter is Coming, the first snowfall in Bosnia

29/10/2020

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This article was intended for a serious, grownup publication and is now my first publication on Medium.com. Please let me know what you think by commenting below. I really appreciate questions about the situation, feedback on the writing or just nice words!

As the days get shorter and the nights get colder, the residents of Bosnia’s most beautiful region prepare for winter in the mountains. But for the thousands of refugees in the area, the freezing nights are an added peril to those they already face.

The region of Una Sana Canton, next to the border with Croatia, has become the unhappy home for thousands of refugees and migrants who remain trapped between war-torn homelands and the walls of the European Union. The more fortunate few reside in official camps, funded by the EU and administered by the International Organization of Migrants (IOM) — a related organisation of the United Nations. The camps range from isolated Sedra Camp where rooms are crowded and insects are found in the food, to Lipa Camp — 30 kilometres from the city of Bihać and with an intended capacity of 1000 people, tents with row upon row of bunkbeds fill all available space. It was already more than full to capacity when the buses arrived with the evicted residents of Bira Camp. Close to the city, there had been local opposition to this camp for some time, but it was with little warning to staff or police that the remaining residents, including unaccompanied minors and other vulnerable people, were bused to Lipa.

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Hiking Near Čačak Serbia

12/10/2020

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I’m not sure I would have ever visited Serbia on holiday had it not been for the pandemic and the migrant crisis combined. Perhaps I would have done a long weekend if there were a sale on flights to Belgrade. Even on my break between projects, I hadn’t planned to visit Čačak (pronounced Charchak). Stef and I were travelling in southern Serbia and Kosovo on our way to Bosnia. We visited Niš in Serbia with its ancient Ottoman history and concentration camp museum, before stopping in Kosovar capital Pristina. It was at this point we had to decide how and where to get a Covid PCR test which is required before entering Bosnia. Some map searching and googling led to Čačak. After a whistle-stop visit to beautiful Prizren and it’s many mosques, and a quick stop in the divided city of Mitrovica, we arrived to a small health centre in a random city. Here’s some info about the city, and what we got up to while waiting for the test and for the result.

Mountain Cabin life.

Čačak

The city is located just over two hours on the bus from Belgrade, in the West Morava Valley in Central Serbia. There are over 30 monasteries in the vicinity dating from the 14th century. Many of these are located in the Ovcar-Kablar Gorge. More on this later. The city has a bustling main square, busy market and friendly inhabitants. But if you visit, you'll likely spend most of your time out of the city.

Mountain Air

We stayed at this mountain cabin near Prejevor, not too far from the centre. It was the perfect antidote to the bustling cities we had been in. Peaceful, green and stunning views of the surrounding mountains. Jovana and her mum Lily welcomed us with coffee, homemade jam and fresh salad before lighting a BBQ to cook corn on the cob. We went for a walk up the hill, passing the orchards of plum trees, the encroaching darkness revealed the multitude of stars.

Hiking and Monasteries

The next morning we set off to scale the mountain of Kablar. We had some vague directions and had a very adventurous drive through old mountain tunnels before arriving to Ovcar Banjar, a tiny town in the river valley. We had a quick look at the hiking map before starting our ascent. There are plenty of trails here and different ways to reach the summit. We of course didn’t notice the ! that accompanied our route. There were very steep sections where scrambling was required, metal handholds had been positioned in some places but it was definitely quite dodgy. The views paid off though. We gained height quickly and the view along the valley in both directions was stunning. We reached the top, sweaty and proud, and sat and ate some chocolate admiring the view, while those who had driven most of the way up bustled to the viewpoint and back. The trail we chose for the descent was much easier going. There were fruit trees to keep us energised, and a really different landscape. None of the same stunning river views though.

Hiking Trails Map

Čačak Centre

We stayed at an apartment in the centre of the city for a couple of nights. I’m not sure I’d recommend the place we stayed but it will remain memorable for a host of reasons…! I had a lovely run through the pedestrianised centre to the river. Then we visited the church as we wandered around. The highlights of many trips are often the food. We found THE best bakery. Serbia is a vegan paradise. No, I’m not joking. Thanks to the Eastern Orthodox tradition of abstaining from animal products on Wednesdays and Fridays, many baked goods are vegan. Zmej pekara was amazing! Not only did they have friendly and patient staff, but a wealth of vegan choice. I think we visited about 4 times in 3 days. The mushroom burek, potato pitta, sweet breads and weird cheesecake thing were all amazing but were however shadowed by THE CHOCOLATE CROISSANT. Chocolate filled and chocolate covered. Bliss.

The market in Čačak was another absolute highlight. The colourful stands of fresh and local produce were a vegan heaven. We were admiring a man’s melon stall and were offered a taste. “Dobro” we had a multilingual conversation about which countries we were from, which somehow resulted in us being given half an enormous melon!

Paintings and refreshment at Monastir Preobrazenje

Hiking Mount Ovcar

Undeterred by our adventurous hike, we returned to Ovcar Banjar to scale the second of the twin peaks. The monasteries in this area are extraordinary. Many are still inhabited by monks or nuns, and have ancient wall paintings. The first that we visited was Monastir Preobrazenje where we had to put on long clothes to be allowed to enter. The nuns were very friendly and had provided fruit and water, and the paintings inside the dark chapel were beautiful. We continued our hike on the other side of the river where we saw three or four other monasteries. Another larger one had refreshments for travellers too. It was at this point that we decided that the weather wasn’t quite bad enough to deter us from scaling the peak. It was shortly after this that it started with the thunder and lightning. You’ll have to let me know what the view is like from the top…

If we had more time, there were miles and miles of unexplored paths and numerous other monasteries to visit. And I'd definitely return to the city just to visit the pekara!

What's the best bakery food you've had? Comment below.

The view from Kablar before it rained!

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Sliding Doors: My Pandemic, France, Serbia, Bosnia

5/10/2020

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Corona Virus has undoubtedly touched all our lives. Every interaction is tinged with a new caution, all plans are made with a new uncertainty. Some people have managed to survive in a relatively unaltered way, others have lost businesses, relationships, homes. I was supposed to be a scuba professional in Mexico, then a church organist in London. When neither of those options were available I went looking for usefulness and adventure - and I found so much more than I could ever have imagined. With all the lows that I have written about, there have been many, many highs too. Here's how it happened.

The scar on the mountain, Croatia's dreadful border.

Another organisation offered to take us shopping! They let us spend their money on hygiene supplies.

I nearly didn't go. In April, the restrictions were incredibly tight and despite the piles of paperwork, I heard that it was no longer possible to travel directly to France to volunteer in Calais. I spoke to the organisation, they whispered about another possibility via Belgium, their enthusiasm for my arrival spurred me on. A beautiful sunset, an overnight ferry and a bit of a drive. I could've made another decision. That film Sliding Doors, where you watch both realities play out - the one where she catches the train, and the one where she misses it, the doors slide closed in front of her - it could so easily have been a different reality. I was only going to stay three weeks.

The people I met in France are entirely responsible for what happened next! "There's a guy in Serbia, on his own, why don't you do there?". I can remember the conversation that Stef and I had which resulted in our commitment to join No Name Kitchen. 3 days driving later and my piano and my little British car crosses the 8th country border of the trip, out of the European Union and into the tiny town of Šid in Serbia. I learnt so much in Serbia. I learnt to make huge pots of food, to communicate in different ways in order optimise the reach of our organisation. I learnt some Pashto, some Serbo-croatian, a wariness of the police and where to find the best accidentally vegan pastries. I learnt about the brutality of the Croatian border guard, the hoops that need jumping through to get medical treatment if you're a person on the move, and the hopes and dreams of my new friends. Always hopes, despite everything.

"Serbia is bad, but Bosnia is worse. The police, the camps, the whole situation." Stef and I had decided to have the same time frame. This meant we wanted to go somewhere else after Serbia. Bosnia presented itself when No Name Kitchen wanted to set up something new in Bihać. Sounds mad doesn't it? I'm a church organist but seem to be being trusted to start operations in a new place for an organisation we've been with for 2 months. Me, Stef, the piano and the little British car toured Serbia and Kosovo before arriving in the mountain city. Sliding doors had placed us there with a familiar colleague and rather a lot of freedom to find out the need and work towards filling it. I am still amazed at the trust NNK put in us to do this, and amazed that we were able to use the skills we'd learnt to connect with other organisations and people on the move in a way that seemed very much lacking in the city.

I didn't know it was possible to be so stressed and still be able to function. There were a couple of days in Bihać when circumstances were mindblowingly stressful. There is always more to do, always someone we had to say "I'm sorry, we can't help you today." There are always reports to write, articles to pitch, friends to chat with, plans to make, lists and lists of things to do. There was one day in particular where I had a few minutes. I lay on my bed and wept, then dried my face and went back out there. We had already extended our stay for a few more days to try to fit more in.

On our last day, we went to visit the other No Name Kitchen in Velika Kladuša. It was only going to be to drop off some keys. A lovely lunch later and we couldn't resist going on one more distribution. We were greeted with surprise by guys we'd met in Bihac but were now in VK. "Hello! How are you? Bihać!" We had some nice chats while the distribution happened around us, then said our goodbyes to people on the move and volunteer friends. Being able to drive across the Croatian border with our shiny passports is sickening. Our friends stay months and years at the gate of the European Union, living rough, being beaten, not having enough to eat or a safe place to sleep. But it is still better than the alternative of a war-torn country or persecution for what you think or believe.

I am forever changed by the people I've met. As I write this, with a week's distance in the safety of Germany, I wouldn't change a thing about my pandemic experience and I am excited for my new future, which I can see beginning to spread out in front of me. Always do more.

Donate to the work of No Name Kitchen in Bosnia and all the other bases via this link.

"Place your hand in mine,
Run into the sunset,
Chase the future,
Always be kind."

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Every Day in Bihac: Police Violence

21/9/2020

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I am often asked, by reporters and friends, why people leave their home countries. There are some generalisations to be made - war, Taliban, religious persecution. But there are an incredible number of individual reasons. I met one guy who is a musician and wants to be a rock guitarist. This isn't possible in Iran, it was dangerous for him to express himself with music. It is the same for this man, the man with the tattoos. I met him only once, he asked me to take the following report for the Internal Violence reporting system we have, and to tell everyone, to share the news of how illegal and inhumane the treatment of people is here in Bosnia. We had a kind translator who helped with the report, a person on the move with incredible language skills. After the translator had gone we managed to chat with his English, a bit of Google but mostly non-verbally. We had tattoos in common, enjoyed hanging out for a bit. He doesn't have Facebook, he wrote down my number, but I never heard from him again. The reports we make are anonymous but I am very sorry that I didn't ask his name. I hope I never meet him again because he was successful in crossing to Italy and he is already beginning the asylum process.

The following report is a common occurrence. Everyone I meet has been beaten, robbed and humiliated. This is not ok.

On 25th August 2020, 20 or 30 people were sleeping outside of Borici camp in Bihac, Bosnia. The man making this report is a 37 year old from Iran. He described how, at 6am, 6 police came and woke them up, three officers were in blue clothes and three were in black clothes. Some people ran away but others were caught. Four police cars came to take them to the police station where they were taken one by one into another room. Each person was beaten - the reporter particularly mentions his friends, a 17 year old, 19 year old and 32 year old from Kurdish Iran. The reporter had bruising on his back and arms from being hit with a police baton. The police asked about the reporter’s tattoos and why he has white hair (he looks different to most people on the move so stands out) - he said that each of his many tattoos symbolise freedom and peace. Later the entire group from outside Borici, plus other people gathered from around the city were deported to Otoka. 200 people were taken on buses, including minors. Otoka is a deserted field between the Federation and Republika Srpska. People on the move are trapped by the river to the north, train tracks to the south, the Srpska police to the east and Federation police to the west. There is no shop, no water, no shelter.

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Violence in Greece:People on the Move in the Balkans

7/9/2020

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One aspect of the work of No Name Kitchen is to report border violence via Border Violence Monitoring Network, but we are hearing increasing reports of internal violence from authorities. Border violence includes the illegal act of pushing people back without offering the chance to claim asylum, internal violence doesn't include this. At the moment we collect the internal violence reports but they don't get published with the rest - instead they will be used to make a report all together. Everyone I speak to hear in Bosnia wants us to tell their stories and make sure that the European Union is aware of what is happening here. So I'm publishing this report here.

I met this guy in Serbia. He was hanging out with some guys from Afghanistan who he'd just met and was quite shy and unsure of the situation. He spoke some English but we mostly had a conversation using Google translate. After we finished the interview he told me that he can't video call his Mum at the moment because of the injury to his face. And he showed me amazing pictures of his home town and the beautiful scenery. As with many people I meet, he didn't leave because he wanted to, he had no choice.

On 20th July 2020 a group of 15 men were sleeping in the jungle in Greece near the border with North Macedonia. The people in the group were aged between 16 and 40 and from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Turkey plus the respondent who is from Iran. They had been staying in the forest area between Polykastro and the border with North Macedonia, west of Idomeni and had been there for 7 days. They were woken in the night, at approximately 11pm, by the barking of a police dog. 5 police vehicles and 10 to 15 officers were present. Some of the officers were wearing the blue and navy blue uniform of the Greek police and others were not in uniform. There was one police dog. Everyone ran away but the respondent reports having a “problem with my heart”, so couldn’t run far. “I was one metre away from the police and I approached them to surrender. One metre away they released the dog to attack me.”

The police dog was wearing a metal muzzle and was released twice, the first time the muzzle injured the respondent on his eyebrow, cutting it, and the second time it hit him on the lip. “My face was bloody.” The officers then handcuffed him and put him and some others from the group in the back of a van. The respondent describes the van as being like those used in Iran for transporting dangerous criminals. “Before I came to Europe I thought only the agents in my country were bad, but now I see that the agents in Europe are bad also.” The group members who had been caught were held in the van for an hour in the location where they had been sleeping.

They were then taken to the police station, around 30 or 40 minutes drive away. The respondent was held in the police station for around 4 hours. The officers gave him something to clean the blood from his face but no other medical assistance. At 5am they released him and told him to go to the hospital. “When they saw my condition they were scared… I was afraid to go to the city, they deport to Turkey and then Turkey to Iran.” He then walked from the police station for 3 hours along the train tracks to reach his friends while he was still covered in blood.

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A day in Bihać: Bosnia

27/8/2020

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Each person told us how the police had beaten them, they showed us their bruises and scars

Part of my work here in Bosnia is to collect reports of pushbacks (a pushback is when someone is returned over the border without the chance to claim asylum) for the Border Violence Monitoring Network. This sounds very formal and official, and it is, but collecting all the information for the report usually starts with a conversation whilst sat on the ground chatting to people. Here in Bihac there are a couple of parks where people on the move hang out - the camps are full and they have nowhere else to go. A couple of days ago Stef and I were meeting a friend who we’d chatted to a few days previously and had recently been pushed back. It sounded awful and the report will soon be available. This friend then took us to talk to another guy, while we were talking more people came to tell us their stories. A tired guy - he was 20 but looked much younger - had been badly beaten whilst crossing into Croatia. He was in a group of 50 or 60 people who trekked over the mountains trying to avoid detection by the Croatian police. He told us how the police fired into the air and made everyone lie down. The police searched each person for money and even found where some people had sewn notes into the waistband of their trousers. One by one, each person was brought forward and beaten with a black baton. They were sent back to Bosnia without anything. The police made a fire with all the belongings not worth stealing. All the belongings - they were deported back to Bosnia in just their underwear.

While we stood there talking, a group formed around us. Each person told us how the police had beaten them, they showed us their bruises and scars. Another guy approached us with a large white plaster cast. His wrist had been slashed open by a rock during the violence of the Croatian authorities. He said he had no sensation in his fingers. He timidly showed me the paper from the hospital - written in a language neither of us could understand. I believe he was first treated in Croatia but deported nonetheless.

Another man I spoke to had amazing tattoos, which all represent freedom and peace. He took care to explain them to me, and then he asked me to photograph the bruises on his back. The police had woken him up whilst he slept outside and then beaten him at the police station before taking him and two hundred others to a city 50 kilometres away. He had just finished walking back.

Everyone I have spoken to here has been confused and upset about why they are kept here like this. The way to cross into the European Union is so difficult and dangerous - but the alternative of returning to a war torn country is worse. Not worse, impossible. Voluntary repatriation means that someone can request to be returned to their home country - this can only be authorised if the country they are returning to is safe enough. These people are trapped in Bosnia without a way to go forwards or backwards. “We want to work, we want to contribute.” “My brother is there, how can I get to him?”

I am so fortunate to meet so many kind and funny people. We discuss politics, Bosnian food and the lack of spice, and different flavours of energy drink. We show each other pictures of our homes and our families.

There are so, so many people here and the situation can’t remain like this. Please read this, share it and talk about it. This is not ok. We must do something.

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Where am i? Bosnia Factfile

17/8/2020

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Despite living in a neighbouring country for the last two month, I knew very little about Bosnia before moving here. It’s been a steep learning curve so far and it will continue to be so, but here are the basics of my new home.

Bosnia is the informal name of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is located in the Balkans and is a developing country. It was a part of the former Yogoslavia.

Population

The total population is around 3.3 million people with three distinct groups, Bosniaks who are Muslim, Bosnian Serbs and Croats. Each group has a president and the three presidents are supposed to work together to run the country. You only need to ask a local about how this is working...

Different regions

Bosnia is actually called Bosnia and Herzegovina but there are actually three distinct regions. Republika Srpska is predominantly Serb, the Federation is mostly Bosniak, and Herzegovina is kind of its own thing in the south of the country. The official Bosnian capital is Sarajevo but Banja Luka is the capital of Republika Srpska - so it might depend on who you’re talking to.

Where I am

I’m in Una Sana Canton. A canton is a fairly autonomous area (like a county but bigger) near the border with Croatia. It’s a stunning, mountainous area and is a popular tourist destination for outdoor activities like hiking and water sports. The River Una is clear and beautiful and the pride of the locals. Una Sana bears the burden of the migration crisis due to its location at the Croatian border.

Migration Crisis

Here are some official statistics about the number of people on the move here. Most of them are guessed or lied about.
Total people: 7200
People camps: 5000
Asylum requests: 1600
Asylum granted: 0 (2018) Data from here

It’s estimated by local organisations that, in the area in and around the city of Bihać, there are at least 2000 people outside of the camps.

Bihać

Bihać is the biggest city in the canton and the hub for the multiple organisations that are trying to help. The big NGOs here include International Organisation for Migrants (IOM), Danish Refugee Council (DRC) and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) who have different roles and responsibilities in and out of the official camps. There are plenty of smaller organisations too of which my organisation No Name Kitchen is one of. There’s a lot of history here connected with Turkish occupation and Austro-Hungarian conflicts to World War II and the recent Bosnian War. The beautiful mosque in the main, pedestrianised square used to be a church. Cafes and bars range from the hipster to the grotty and there’s a bakery and a vegetable shop on every corner.

The end of the war, just 25 years ago, is written indelibly on the country: in the faces, buildings and mountains. Bullet holes are still visible on the walls of houses, and grassy craters from grenades line the road. The migrant crisis is unavoidably public too. Groups of bored and tired guys sit in the park and wander the streets - the camps are full and there are few safe places to go.

There’s a lot for me to learn about the politics here. Politics is everything. People on the move are suffering at the hands of the politics of both Bosnia and Herzegovina and Western Europe, and we must find a way to make a contribution towards helping them and raising awareness.

Wish me luck, questions and comments below.

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New friends: volunteers in Šid, Serbia

7/8/2020

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Volunteering always means meeting incredible and interesting people. Working in Serbia has been no exception. Living in a small town and not speaking any Serbian (beyond ordering vast amounts of bread - ‘dvadeset hlabova’) made it quite difficult to meet Serbian people. Thankfully Laura and Iva from Novi Sad speak perfect English and it was brilliant working with them when they came to Šid. Here’s what Laura wrote about for me to post.

My name is Laura; I'm 22 years old and was born and have lived my whole life in Novi Sad. For as long as I can remember, I've always believed in the ideals of liberty and equality, which have guided my development both in thought and action. Because of that and extensive research, when I was around 16, I started identifying myself as a leftist, and since turning 18 I've been involved in various activist initiatives - community vegan cooking, student activism, anti-government protests, anti-eviction actions, etc. Currently I am working in an organization working with LGBT+ youth in my home town (I am, in my spare time, transgender and bisexual, which has also shaped my involvement in social justice).

One particular area of interest for me has always been anti-nationalism and anti-war activism. Living in a country which took active part in bloody conflicts throughout its recent history, and which is still very much shaped by ethnic-based politics and the (largely unacknowledged) legacy of war crimes, has certainly helped put these issues at the forefront for me. Because of all that, the so-called "Migrant Crisis" has from the beginning been something I've followed closely and talked about often. The horrible mistreatment of the people on the move, as well as the firing up of the mainstream nationalist, racist and islamophobic rhetoric which all seem to be at the foundation of Serbian society, in my opinion should make this a central issue for all the progressive forces living in this country. At the same time, however, I was living in a city where there's almost no migrant population, and as such no organizations/groups working on this issue, and so I didn't really know how to get involved. Given that, when the opportunity arose for me to come and volunteer at No Name Kitchen (my friend was going there to volunteer and they needed as much help as they could get because everybody else had left due to the Covid-19 restrictions), I felt compelled to immediately seize it. So far I've been to Šid to help out on a couple of occasions, and have been supporting the organization from Novi Sad as much as I can, by organising clothes donations, helping to translate, stuff like that. I'm really glad to have the opportuinty to help out in any way I can, and would love to continue being involved and, if possible, come back there to keep volunteering!

It’s hard to describe how different Serbia feels from Western Europe, and it’s hard to have an idea of a place without some insight from people that grew up here. If you have any questions for Laura or for me, comment below!

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Serbia and Migrants, Law and Solidarity

25/7/2020

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Do you know the difference between a refugee and an asylum seeker? Do you know who family reunification applies to? Do you know if that applies to all EU countries? And did you realise that what the law says and what happens are different things?? During my time in Calais and Serbia I’ve learnt a lot about the laws surrounding migration and have had the opportunity to direct people towards further legal advice. Here’s a few key things I’ve learnt alongside the stories of some of my friends who I’ve helped to access more information.

It is the responsibility of the country (not the individual) to assess an asylum claim in the first EU country that they come to. If that person wants to reach another country for whatever reason, that is their choice.
An asylum seeker is someone who is having their claim processed. They are in the system.
A refugee is someone who has successfully claimed asylum
A migrant is anyone not in their home country. I am a migrant in Serbia right now.
'People on the move' is the term we use here. We try and avoid the terms that have legal connotations so I tend to talk about 'my friends' and 'the guys'.
A push back from any country is illegal. That means that when the UK coastguard nudges boats in the Channel away from England and towards France, this is illegal. Just as the border guards of Croatia, Romania and Hungary are all acting illegally when they force people back into Serbia - whether violence is used or not.
Human rights apply to all people at all times. No level of violence is acceptable.

A big problem that I have found is that people on the move don’t actually know how to get legal advice. A lot of people I’ve met think that they may have a legal route to join family but they don’t know how to find out about it, let alone how to apply. Right now I have friends in Serbia with family in the U.K. They have a pretty good case for reunification but didn’t know where or how to access information or help. Imagine trying to fill in complicated government forms in your second or third language that ask very sensitive questions about your recent traumas.

Here in Serbia I am fortunate to be working with Klikaktiv. They are a group of lawyers, social workers and translators who are able to offer advice about Serbian laws, wider European regulations and also provide support for us international volunteers. They rely on us here in the field to find people that need advice and to direct them to the right places. Each case is complicated, involving several countries and very sad and difficult stories. During the pandemic, there has been a strong military and police presence everywhere. Klikaktiv have also been able to help with how we should behave in these situations.

Similarly, my friend in France was being detained after the clearances in Calais. He had access to legal advice but doesn’t understand the French paper he has been given. I can’t imagine how terrifying it must be to not know what is happening to you. It’s also the case that papers and decisions are not carried out. A friend I have was in Germany going through the system and received a deportation notice, without knowing that Germany doesn't currently deport anyone to Sudan. It’s the case in the UK that asylum claims are often refused the first time and then granted on appeal, likely with the hope that some people will be scared off or not have access to advice or resources to challenge the decision.

The hardest thing about trying to find legal advice for people here, is that most often the answer is “there’s nothing we can do.” Even for the funny, clever teenage boys living in the forest who have family in Western European countries. The law makes it incredibly difficult to help people. This leaves my friends risking their lives on the top of freight trains or in refrigerated trucks. They get so regularly beaten by Croatian border guards that they think nothing of it. We also get told about chain pushbacks - Austria deport to Slovenia, who deport to Croatia, who deport to Serbia. Imagine getting as far as Austria, a safe European country, and then getting illegally deported back over several countries!

It’s been difficult for me to talk about some of the things that happen here.

Because they are so terrible.
Because I don’t want to throw around the stories of my friends.
Because I know it is difficult for people at home to relate to.

But if by reading this you feel you want to do something, then reading and sharing information is very important. My organisation, No Name Kitchen, is part of the Border Violence Monitoring Network. We collect reports of illegal activities in order that it can be known what happens here and so we can stand in solidarity with those who have been wronged. Please will you read this report, which was collected and written by my friend Stef. Making Border Violence Reports involves an indepth interview that needs to be conducted sensitively and Stef does an amazing job at listening to story after story of terrible situations. Share this post, say something about how it makes you feel to hear these stories. Tell just one friend and we can spread the message.

And if you still want to do more, you can donate to No Name Kitchen and you can write to your MP about how you feel about the situation.

Comments and suggestions are always welcome, especially as it can feel quite isolating here.

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