There is a serious difference in opinion between the EU and Hungary on migration and Germany’s “mistaken” communication is responsible for the “mess” at Budapest’s Keleti railway station which saw thousands of angry migrants attempting to board Germany-bound trains over the past days, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in his regular Friday morning radio interview with the state broadcaster Kossuth Rádió. “If we fail to protect our borders, tens of millions will arrive to Europe time and again”, he said.
Commenting on his talks in Brussels on immigration yesterday, he said that a large share of EU leaders believe that everyone has to be let in – but this would spell the end of Europe, he said, pointing out that the current “Grand Migration” has unlimited supply and sooner or later, we could find that “we’ve become the minority on our own continent”. We have to send a message out to those coming to Europe hoping for a better life that they should not come because they will not be let in, or even if they are, they will be sent home. European citizens’ righteous demand for safety can only be satisfied if we are able to protect our borders, he emphasized.
Europe would now have to show strength; as opposed to this, it is rich but weak, which is the worst combination, he argued, pointing out that force has to be shown in protecting the borders. During his talks in Brussels on Thursday, his foreign partners told him that they are not in favour of Hungary’s anti-immigration barrier fence on the border with Serbia but they have no better idea, he revealed.
Turning to the EU’s planned refugee quota, the Prime Minister said that quotas and distribution should be discussed only once we are able to protect our borders. “I will consider everything once our borders have been protected”. Commenting on the recent turmoil at Budapest’s Keleti railway station, he said that the “mess” was caused by the “false promise” of an invitation to Germany later revoked by the country. If Hungary allows there immigrants who are unwilling to accept Hungarian laws and cooperate with authorities, Austria will close the border, he claimed, pointing out that if Hungarians want to stick to the possibility of free movement within Europe, our external borders have to be protected and EU regulations have to be enforced also at the Keleti railway station. If Germany issues these people visas, “we can allow them out”, he said.
