Report from Belgrade

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There are currently 5-700 people staying in the parks surrounding the bus station in Belgrade. Numbers fluctuate daily as it is a transit point into Hungary and the EU. Most are passing through Turkey, then Macedonia to Serbia and beyond. Some have tents like these, others sleep outdoors. Serbian civil society organized under the collective Refugee Aid Serbia in Belgrade has organized food and clothing distribution and Doctors without Borders (MSF) is providing basic health services.

The Serbian response has been mixed. While the government has taken little to no action, the people have come out strongly to help those in need, with many calling back to their experiences of being refugees not so long ago. However, this solidarity was consistently conditioned by the assumption that as a transit country, “no one wants to stay in Serbia,” thus relieving the potential long term implications of the population movements.

Most aslyum-seekrs we spoke to in Belgrade expect poor treatment at and within the Hungarian border.