#WithRefugees: World Refugee Day 2016

Around twenty talented young people surprised shoppers in Podgorica’s Delta City when they performed a flash mob dance on the occasion of 20 June, World Refugee Day. The performance was staged by young Roma from the Konik refugee camp and Matrix dance club, under the auspices of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.

The choreographed flash mob aimed to invite people to stand with refugees, but also to show that refugees, especially Roma, can integrate into Montenegrin society.

The dancers wore T-shirts reading #WithRefugees, which is the name of UNHCR’s global campaign asking everyone to give support to those fleeing conflict and persecution, especially in the light of the heightened anti-refugee rhetoric.

“Refugees are people like you and me who have been forced to flee. With the #WithRefugees petition, we want to build empathy and understanding for uprooted millions of innocent families. This performance also aimed to show that if refugees are given the opportunity to integrate, this can yield positive benefits for themselves as well as for the whole community, providing a sense of belonging“, says UNHCR Representative in Montenegro Mustafa Server Caylan.

"Refugees are people like you and me who have been forced to flee"

Mustafa Server Caylan, UNHCR Representative in Montenegro

According to UNHCR, a record 65.3 million people were displaced worldwide at the end of last year. By signing the #WithRefugees petition, people from across the globe can call on governments to work together and do their fair share for refugees.

The petition, which has also been signed by many celebrities such as Cate Blanchet, Ben Stiller, Scarlett Johansson and Helen Mirren, will be delivered at the historic UN General Assembly high-level summit on large movements of refugees and migrants on September 19.