Abstract
AbstractIn this chapter, I discuss the Hungarian government’s call for “flexible solidarity.” I juxtapose flexible solidarity with grassroots efforts undertaken by different actors to welcome asylum seekers and facilitate their onward journey to European countries, where opportunities for more permanent settlement existed. I show how the flexible and effective solidarity promoted by the Hungarian government created deserving and undeserving refugees. I also present the position of religious leaders toward refugees to show how some attempted to welcome the Stranger, while others sided with the Orbán administration to advocate for solidarity abroad. I also demonstrate how different solidarians representing civil society organizations and informal community networks contested the government’s anti-refugee policies. While the civil society actors provided invaluable assistance to asylum seekers, they were not able to affect major policy changes.
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