In his address on urgent and topical matters before the start of daily business in Parliament, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stressed that it is Hungary’s historic and moral obligation to protect Europe, and when Hungary is protecting its borders, it is also protecting Europe.
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Summarising the migration situation, Mr. Orbán said that migrants “are now not just knocking on our door, but breaking it down”, stressing that hundreds of thousands – indeed millions – of immigrants are besieging the borders of Hungary and Europe. And there is plenty of supply, as millions are setting out for Europe, the Prime Minister pointed out, mentioning as an example that in Iraq and Syria alone millions of people are in need of humanitarian aid. He added that the “North African line of defence” has collapsed; the Arab Spring resulted in chaos as the institutions of representative democracy – regarded by the West as the only true form of state – remain inoperational in places where there is no will to operate them.
The Prime Minister found it objectionable that Europe “has not only left its doors and windows wide open, but even sent out invitations to immigrants”.
In his view, migrants are the victims of bad political decisions: “in fact, the world has turned their backs on these people”. He said he finds it understandable that many of them who live in difficult circumstances have set out for Europe, this “rich but weak region of the world”; but it is now amply clear that Europe is unable to take on all the troubles of the world, is unable to support all the economic migrants in the world, and “neither is it certain that they all want to work hard”. In this context, the Prime Minister said he thinks that it puts things into perspective when one sees that some in Germany are demonstrating, because they want to move on to Sweden.
In his address, the Prime Minister pointed out that it is the most natural thing in the world to want to protect one’s own family and, as he said, “this is just what we are doing now”.
He argued that Hungary has been a valued member of the larger European family for a thousand years, and it is its historic and moral duty to protect Europe, as Hungary thereby also protects itself. When we protect the borders of Hungary we also protect Europe, he added.
Mr. Orbán’s words were met with enthusiastic applause when he thanked the police and the military serving on the Hungarian borders for rendering highly disciplined and humane service.
The Prime Minister said that Hungary needs to engage in a battle on two fronts: it must protect the borders of the country and Europe, but it must also fight against “Europe’s short-sighted policy”, which has turned against the will of the European people.
“We are quarrelling with Brussels; we have diverging views on the problem, the means by which to resolve the problem, and the consequences of the problem”, the Prime Minister said, adding that a number of European institutions and a number of European achievements must be reconsidered.
As Europe is unable to protect its own external borders, an increasing number of internal borders are being closed, Mr. Orbán said.
In his view, it is understandable that the European left sees migration as an opportunity to accomplish its historical objective: the elimination of nations. There is a reason why political forces are taking turns to criticise Hungary for standing up for its national independence, Mr. Orbán said.
In criticising European policies, the Prime Minister also highlighted that a Europe which requires its half a billion citizens to respect its laws is unable to persuade migrants to undergo a simple registration process. He further criticised the fact that Brussels also sees people who are clearly illegal economic migrants as being refugees.
Based on these facts, the Prime Minister concluded that “as a result, we are finding that our borders are in danger, our way of life based on respect for the law is in danger, and Hungary and the whole of Europe are in danger”.
As long as Europe remains unable to take united action, he continued, the nation states will have to defend themselves “against this brutal threat”. “We have done everything we could within the boundaries of the law. And in the future we shall also continue to do our utmost, and to punch above our weight.” Referring to the outcome of the National Consultation, indicating that the Government’s measures can be deduced from this commanding duty, Mr. Orbán said that the Hungarian people have decided: the country must be protected.
He further remarked that Hungary is not acting on a whim when it builds border fences and employs solutions of its own: “we are simply seeking to fulfil our treaty obligations”.
The Prime Minister said he takes the view that we must prepare for a long battle, the Government will persevere and will not compromise, but we cannot eliminate this problem until there is a united European action plan.
The Hungarian government has proposals, he continued, mentioning among these the joint protection of Europe’s southern borders, the establishment of refugee camps outside the EU, and the provision of aid for countries which have sheltered millions of war refugees to date.
In voicing criticism of the planned EU quota system, the Prime Minister confirmed the Government’s position: such a system merely treats the consequences, by “spreading the problem”, rather than eliminating the causes. We should first put an end to the mass migration, and once we have succeeded in protecting our borders, we should discuss what should happen to those who are already here or want to come here, he urged.
The Prime Minister said that it must be clear to everyone that Europe is Europe because explicit rules govern our co-existence. In Europe the rule of law does not mean oppression, he said, but the provision of protection and security.
We must point out, Mr. Orbán continued, that everyone here has worked hard to live in peace and security; both the individuals and national communities together have worked hard for this. In Europe welfare is not something you are entitled to as a matter of course, he stressed: it is something that you have to work for.
Finally, he asked Members of Parliament, regardless of their party affiliation, to support the Government in the fight against mass immigration, because “we only have one country, and it is the duty of us all to protect it”.