Despite disadvantageous conditions, various forms of protest by ordinary citizens have emerged in Austria to stop the expulsion of asylum seekers. How can protest activities in favor of refugees be explained? Empirically, this article relies on a protest event analysis (PEA) of media articles and an emotion analysis (EA) of protest material. Following the emotional turn, this study emphasizes that personal ties and closely related affective emotions-friendship and solidarity-between deportees and protesters account for the most relevant resources of protest. Moreover, activists strategically use reactive/moral emotions-fear, outrage, and shame- to mobilize broader support. Protesters are mostly recruited from the personal environment of the potential deportees, and the most salient argument expressed against deportation is that well-integrated people deserve to remain in the country. The article concludes that social ties and emotions are useful in explaining not only the emergence and spread of protests but also certain limitations inherent in them with regard to policy change. © 2014 Mobilization: An International Quarterly.

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