Hotel City Plaza: The City as Site Of Solidarity

A discussion on the occasion of the recently published book: Die
Stadt als Stätte der Solidarität The Hotel City Plaza in Exarcheia,
Athens was left abandoned after a disorderly bankruptcy in 2010.
Six years later, new life was breathed into the building when it
was squatted and became a self-organized structure for hosting
refugees and migrants. Between 2016 and 2019, City Plaza became
more than a housing project for refugees: It became counterexample
to dominant migration policies, to prevailing ways of managing and
ranking migrants, and to refugee camps themselves, as an acceptable
model for housing displaced peoples and migrants. City Plaza formed
a political project at many levels: from collectively organising
social production in everyday life, to resistance in the face of
policies that aim to control and subjugate migrants. Common
everyday experiences in City Plaza offered the experience of
organising a different life, a very different type of cohabitation,
as well as the power and the optimism of a community.  On the
occasion of the recently published book 'Die Stadt als Stätte der
Solidarität‘ (’the city as site of solidarity’) Mosaik-Podcast is
delighted to present the recording of a discussion between Olga
Lafazani, Niki Kubaczek, and Monika Mokre. Olga is a contributing
author to the book. Her piece is entitled At home in City Plaza:
questioning the divide between hosts and guests. Together with the
editors of the book, Niki and Monika, she will discuss the
experiences of City Plaza in the context of solidarity cities.
Specifically, the discussion will cover the possibilities, as well
as challenges, of building transnational and antiracist commons in
the city and against the nation form.  As an introduction to
the debate, Niki offers brief insights on the topic of Asylum in
Austria and recent acts of resistance to deportations, before being
joined by Monika in speaking out for the relevance of the concept
of cities as a site of solidarity. More information on the book
(German Language), as well as open access to the digital version
can be found here.