Its activists referred to themselves as agents, conductors and station masters and its fugitives as passengers. The “underground railroad”, which helped enslaved people escape from the southern slave states of the US in the 19th century, has gained renewed attention recently. Today, in both Europe and North America, comparisons to the railroad’s ethos have been made with the solidarity of activists helping those making precarious migrations across borders.

In 19th-century America, those opposed to the escape of “fugitives” wrongly attributed slave runaways to the “enticement” of northerners, writes Maurice Stierl. And in Europe today, those activists supporting people on the move are also blamed for causing such “illegal” movements. NGOs working to save lives in the Mediterranean have been criticised by politicians as a “pull-factor” for more migrants.

But Stierl cautions that what these historical and current debates have in common is an attempt to deprive those on the move of any agency in their journeys. Today’s migrants are also seeking their own freedom.

Meanwhile, in the UK, a week after Boris Johnson won an 80-seat majority, we look at what this means for the future of the BBC. And if you’re gearing up for some political arguments round the Christmas dinner table, here’s what happens in the human brain when we disagree.

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