activism

• United Kingdom
• Germany
• Syria

A giant puppet of a young refugee girl is part of "The Walk," an art initiative that will travel 8,000 kilometers in support of refugees. It will also stop in Germany.

• Afghanistan
• Germany

A young Afghan man was taken into custody as he was preparing the paperwork for his wedding. He was deported to Afghanistan as part of a collective deportation on Tuesday, despite the deteriorating security situation in the country, leaving his fiancé in shock.

• France

French authorities have launched an investigation into the extremist group Génération identitaire on the grounds of incitement to racial hatred. Following an anti-migrant action earlier this month in the Pyrenees, the interior minister also said he would consider shutting the group down.

• Guinea
• France

A French baker's apprentice from Guinea has been granted a residency permit. His employer had gone on hunger strike to protest against his deportation; the campaign drew global attention.

• Germany
• Greece
• Netherlands

A group of refugee activists is planning to fly an empty plane to the Greek island of Lesbos to try to pick up nearly 200 migrants. The group wants to bring the migrants to the Netherlands.

• United Kingdom
• Syria
• Lebanon

Majeda Khouri was detained in Syria for peacefully protesting the Assad regime. After her release, raids on her house prompted her to leave -- first for Lebanon and eventually the UK, where she was granted refugee status. In London, she has founded her own catering business and helps other Syrian refugee women from poorer backgrounds use their own cooking skills to earn a living in London.

• Italy
• Eritrea

Eritrean priest and activist for migrant rights Father Mussie Zerai has urged the Italian government to help migrants fleeing Libya who would like to come to Italy.

• Italy

The soccer team NoWalls wants to fight racism in sports. Its players hail from 14 different countries. Now, Italian sportswear company Umbro has become the sponsor of the team.

• Italy

Aboubakar Soumahoro, a well-known trade unionist for migrants in Italy, has said that a Roman taxi driver told him he had to sit in the front seat or else the driver wouldn't let him inside the taxi.

• France

Cédric Herrou, the French farmer who shot to fame after defying authorities to help dozens of migrants enter the country illegally, has launched France's first Emmaus-backed farming community at his southern Roya valley property. The project will allow for refugees and homeless people, who are otherwise excluded from the labor market, to work on the farm in exchange for a small stipend.

• Iran
• Germany

There's a growing movement in Germany of people sheltering rejected asylum seekers who are at risk of being deported. They call it humane and an act of civil disobedience. But some critics warn that 'citizens' asylum' is illegal and may not help anyone in the long run.

• Spain
• Morocco

Moroccan authorities have dropped a case against Spanish journalist and human rights defender Helena Maleno Garzon. Maleno works for the NGO Walking Borders which alerts Spanish and Moroccan rescue authorities to migrant boats in distress at sea.