The Screening Protest Project

Syrian’s protest here and now

Four years ago Syrians took to the streets to protest against the authoritarian rule of their country. People across Europe and beyond followed the events through large and small screens, applauded, and confirmed their right to freedom. Today Syrians are among the refugees protesting for freedom outside the Budapest train station, and instead of applauding, European governments are quickly erecting fences and walls to keep them out, responding in many cases to domestic political opinion. Why were the protests so differently received then and now? Can an answer be found by looking at how television journalists have framed their plight over the years? Making sense of such evolutions, and differences in time and space, is one of the challenges the project addresses.

Alexa Robertson