We rarely publish verbatim long texts produced by Hungary’s current government, but to understand how Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is using the terrorist attacks in France to position himself as the defender of Europe, the “common sense” voice of “the people,” standing up to detached liberal elites who still believe in diverse societies and inclusion, we must read him. We can see that xenophobia is calculatingly baked into his policies. I recommend that our readers explore the language and ideas in his speech below, given in Parliament on Monday. Mr. Orbán declares that Europe is the victim of “an invasion of outsiders.” He claims that all cities in Europe that have sizable immigrant populations have also seen a commensurate increase in criminal activity. And the Hungarian prime minister adds that the European Union is “rudderless,” when faced with immigration, refugees and terrorism–all of which are intertwined.
Mr. Orbán’s speech was translated to English by the government, so we know that this is meant primarily for foreign consumption, by concerned citizens in other EU countries, some of whom believe that Mr. Orbán is Europe’s measured voice of reason. The Embassy of Hungary in Canada also shared this text on its Facebook page–one reader then shared it with Canadian hard-right publicist Ezra Levant, who has been strongly supportive of Mr. Orbán during the refugee crisis.
Prime Minister Orbán’s speech is worth a read by those of us as well, who see through the smokescreen of his Machiavellian politics.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán with school children in the town of Szombathely on Tuesday. Photo: Facebook.
Our first words today are also of condolence. I wish to take this opportunity to convey the condolences of the Hungarian people and Hungary to France and the French people: we share your grief and stand by you in your moment of need.
Honourable House, the European Union has been attacked, and we too are in danger. The esteemed President of the French Republic François Hollande has said that what has happened is an act of war. If this is the case – and it is – we must recognise that not only France and the French people are at war. France is a member of the European Union. In this respect, the entire European Union was attacked in Paris. We are a member of the EU, and this is therefore our affair, also. What happened on Friday night could happen anywhere in Europe. We are not safe either. The time has come for the leading politicians of the European Union to also wake up and realise what is at stake.
Let us ask a simple question. What is more humane? We Hungarians have been advocating the closure of our borders to stop the flood of people coming from the Middle East and Africa. We have been fiercely criticised for this, by those who claim that this is not a humane approach. But we are faced with a question. Which approach is more humane: to close the borders in order to stop illegal immigration, or to put at risk the lives of innocent European citizens? The right to life takes precedence over all other rights, as does the right to self-defence. No ideology or economic interest of any kind should allow us to risk the lives of European citizens. Whichever way we look at it, the EU is rudderless. It is weak, uncertain and paralysed. There are meetings and conferences galore, but there are no solutions. We are floundering in the net of ideologies, instead of taking firm action on the basis of common sense and our own cultural traditions. The leaders of several European countries are still trying to concoct schemes on how to transport in and absorb masses of immigrants, instead of jointly taking practical steps to finally stop the flow. In Brussels they are still claiming that immigration is a good thing. Meanwhile, day after day we see evidence that immigration is a bad thing. It is not a win-win situation, but lose-lose.
We feel that the very existence of Europe is at stake. In Brussels, however, all the wrong messages are being sent: there are ever more invitations to migrants, instead of telling them firmly and honestly that what they will find here is not at all what they expect.
We have repeatedly warned the leaders of the European Union not to invite these people to Europe. Everyone who has soberly thought through the possible consequences of unlimited mass migration can see what dangers are inherent in the uncontrolled, illegal flow of people crossing our borders. European and US security experts, heads of intelligence services and police chiefs have continually warned Europe of the increased terror threat. Every politician and all Europe’s leaders have been made aware of the danger. At the beginning of this summer Greece said that it was not possible to rule out the presence of jihadists among the masses of migrants arriving.
Seen from the perspective of common sense, it was clear that one simply must not let in large numbers of people without proper controls: hundreds of thousands of people whose exact origins are unknown, whose identities are unknown, and whose motivations are unknown. In addition, Honourable House, they are coming from regions in which European states are currently involved in military operations. The like of this has never happened before. We are allowing in – indeed transporting in – hundreds of thousands of people in an unregulated manner from regions in which the European Union is at war. It has been demonstrated that terrorists are deliberately and systematically exploiting mass migration in order to blend in among masses of people who are leaving their homes in the hope of a better life. We do not think that everyone coming from that direction is a terrorist. But we do not know, and no one can say, how many terrorists have already arrived among the masses of migrants. We do not know how many of them are already here, and how many of them are arriving from day to day. A single terrorist is one too many. It is painful to even consider how many terrorists may have crossed the territory of our country. The time has come to put an end to this all across Europe.
It is clear to every person of common sense that Europe cannot cope with so many people. We all know that the European economy cannot cope with such a burden. But beyond the financial and economic realities, mass migration presents three serious risks, each of which is on its own sufficient reason to hold back the flood of people. Firstly, on Friday night we witnessed the fact that mass migration represents an exponentially increasing terror threat – indeed today we are not even talking about the threat of terror, but the fact and reality of terror. Secondly, mass migration increases the risk of crime. It is not PC, not politically correct, to talk about this –indeed in the Western world these facts are publicly denied – but it is a fact for all that. In those places in Europe with high numbers of immigrants, crime has increased significantly and public security has deteriorated. There is more theft, robbery, physical assault, grievous bodily harm, rape and murder. Whether we talk about them or not, these facts are still facts. Thirdly, mass resettlement of people arriving from other continents and cultures represents a threat to our culture, way of life, customs and traditions. Now those who have lived in the delusion of multi-culturalism – and who have sought to force this delusion on us – can see where all this is leading.
In the light of what has happened, we must also speak about the issue of compulsory resettlement quotas. It is still the case that, from somewhere outside Hungary, people want to tell us Hungarians who we should live alongside. This is what the quotas are about. I propose to the Honourable House that we continue to reject the quotas, and continue to insist that we ourselves should decide whom we want to let in and whom we want to live together with.
Mandatory resettlement quotas are quite simply not Europe: they are a complete contradiction of the spirit of Europe. They are pointless, because they do not resolve the crisis, but aggravate it. It is clear that mandatory resettlement quotas do not keep migrants away, but are more of an invitation for them. They do not reduce pressure, but add to it – and the rapidly escalating pressure will cause European counties to reinstate their borders within the EU. Such a scenario is just a question of time if things continue as they have done, and this and could mean the end of the Schengen system and of free movement. Honourable Fellow Members of Parliament, mandatory quotas are also illegitimate, as the leaders of Europe have no jurisdiction to make decisions on this issue. They have no powers to force on the Member States a measure on refugees or immigration which the countries concerned do not want. In the light of the terrorist attacks, Brussels can no longer question Member States’ right to defend themselves, given that mandatory resettlement quotas are dangerous, because they would spread terrorism across Europe.
The facts and tragic events show that we need a new European policy. It is not enough to patch up or repair the old one. I suggest that we put dogma aside, forget about political correctness, and speak in an open and straightforward manner. I suggest that we return from the realm of ideologies to common sense, and reconsider our European policy on the basis of four self-evident commandments.
First of all, we must protect the external borders of the European Union, because security begins with the protection of the borders.
Secondly, we must protect our culture, because Europe’s essence lies in its spiritual and cultural identity.
Thirdly, we must protect our economic interests, because we Europeans must remain at the centre of the world economy.
And fourthly, we must give the people the right to have a say in European decisions, because the European Union must be based on democratic foundations.
The citizens of Europe did not want hundreds of thousands of outsiders invading their countries by crossing their borders illegally, in an uncontrolled manner. No one anywhere has given authorisation or permission for this. People want to live in security, and want to enjoy the benefits of the European Union. And it is our duty as Members of Parliament and governments throughout Europe to listen to the people’s voice.
Viktor Orbán
