Last year, several countries with internal Schengen borders reintroduced border controls.Continue reading
On Saturday morning Prime Minister Viktor Orbán held an end-of-year international press conference. The event was held at Carmelite monastery in Budapest, his official residence. The prime minister reported on the progress made during the Hungarian presidency, the 2025 budget and the Russian-Ukrainian war, but also reflected on the Friday terror attack at the Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany.
On Friday evening a car ploughed into crowds of people attending a Christmas market in the town of Magdeburg. Five people have been killed and around two hundred injured in what appears to be a premeditated terror attack. Reports have mentioned that a Saudi man has been arrested on the scene in connection with the incident.
Viktor Orbán started his Budapest press conference by saying, “perhaps it is right that we should first express our sympathy and sorrow to the families of the victims of the terrorist attack in Germany, and to the German people in general. We are with them in the next terrorist attack, which unfortunately happens every Christmas”.
He continued by pointing out that it is “perhaps more appropriate to wait a day or two before drawing political conclusions, as at this time, sympathy still prevails in our feelings. And rightly so. However, I would like to say that these phenomena have only existed in Europe since the migration crisis. There is no doubt that there is a link between what Western Europe has become, the influx of migration, especially illegal migration, and terrorist acts. I see that there are still those who try to deny these links. But the simple fact that we say that there were no such occurrences before, demands respect. Now we do have them. Therefore, the lesson that Hungary can learn from this is that it must consistently maintain that Hungary must not be allowed to transform itself into a world in which such things can happen. But first and foremost, we are now with the Germans”, concluded his words Viktor Orbán.
Die Bilder aus #Magdeburg sind erschütternd! In Gedanken bin ich bei den Hinterbliebenen und Verletzten. Wann hat dieser Wahnsinn ein Ende? https://t.co/8Bo7zdhici
— Alice Weidel (@Alice_Weidel) December 20, 2024
Alice Weidel, the leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), the only German party that consistently calls for protecting the country’s borders and a crack-down of illegal mass immigration has reacted to the outrage saying, “the pictures from Magdeburg are shocking! My thoughts are with the bereaved and injured. When will this madness end?”
President Tamás Sulyok has also expressed his condolences to the victims of the terror attack in a post published on X, saying “I extend my sincere condolences and sympathies to the families of those who lost their lives in the murderous attack at the Magdeburg Christmas market. My prayers are with the victims, and I wish a speedy recovery to those injured.“
I extend my sincere condolences and sympathies to the families of those who lost their lives in the murderous attack at the Magdeburg Christmas market.
My prayers are with the victims, and I wish a speedy recovery to those injured.
— Dr. Tamás Sulyok (@DrTamasSulyok) December 20, 2024
Hungary has been fined 200 million euros by the European Court of Justice on the behest of the European Commission for not complying with the court’s earlier decision that would have, in practice, meant an opening of the country’s borders to masses of illegal immigrants.
This article has been updated.
Featured Image: MTI