Brussels’ Anti-free-speech Mayor Gets his Reply from the Hungarian Ambassador

The Grand-Place in Brussels

 

Brussels’ notorious Mayor can now pin another scandal to his record after receiving a letter from the Hungarian Ambassador to Belgium. The letter is a reaction to an earlier statement released by socialist Mayor Philippe Close, in which he accuses Hungary of a lack of solidarity.

In a post on the social media X Close bemoans Hungary, which, in his view “enjoys EU solidarity, but shamefully abandons the other member states”. This was his reaction to an earlier statement by Gergely Gulyás, minister for the prime minister’s office, threatening to “give everyone a one-way ticket (to Brussels, ed. note) if the EU makes it impossible to stop migration at the external border.” Close called it “outrageous” that Hungary should allegedly “play with the lives of people in need at the expense of the people of Brussels. It should take its responsibility or give up the EU Council Presidency!”, he wrote.

Hongarije, die geniet vd solidariteit vd EU, laat de andere lidstaten op schandalige wijze in de steek. Het is ongehoord om met het leven v mensen in nood te spelen ten koste vd Brusselaars. Zij moet haar verantwoordelijkheid nemen of het voorzitterschap vd raad vd EU afstaan! https://t.co/f0RiRvB0hq

— Philippe Close (@PhilippeClose) August 23, 2024

In his reply, addressed to Mayor Close, Hungarian Ambassador to Belgium, Tamás Iván Kovács replied by saying that

if Brussels forces us to let migrants in, then it should also welcome them.”

The Ambassador reiterated that Hungary has been on the frontlines of protecting the EU’s external borders for nearly a decade, spending over two billion euros from its own budget to fulfill its obligations under the Schengen Agreement, all this without any support from the EU. He pointed out that it is Hungary, not Brussels, that has suffered from a lack of solidarity. While Hungary has diligently protected Europe’s borders, it has been met with fines instead of support. The Court of Justice of the European Union even imposed a 200-million-euro penalty on Hungary, further highlighting the disparity in how Hungary’s efforts are treated compared to other EU members.

The Hungarian diplomat reiterated that if Brussels insists on forcing Hungary to accept migrants, then it must also be ready to share in the responsibility.

Hungary will not compromise its national security or bear this burden alone, especially when Brussels seems to desire migrants only as long as they remain in other EU member states.

The call for solidarity is not just a rhetorical one; it is a demand for fair treatment and genuine support from the EU, wrote Ambassador Iván Kovács.

“If Brussels forces us to let migrants in, then it should also welcome them,” @tamasivankovacs, the Hungarian Ambassador to Brussels, stated in response to Brussels Mayor @PhilippeClose’s recent attack. The Ambassador’s letter reiterated that Hungary has been on the… pic.twitter.com/KSD2G8BQx0

— Zoltan Kovacs (@zoltanspox) August 28, 2024

It is not the first time this year that Philippe Close’s name makes headlines in the newspapers. In April he successfully pressured a venue in Brussels to shut its doors to the National Conservatism conference, after which he was accused of being anti-free-speech by a number of commentators. The conference was only able to commence after an emergency court ruling and a personal intervention by Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo.

Apart from his spat with the Hungarian government and his infamous attempts to silence conservative speakers, Close’s record as a mayor since 2017 has been blighted by serious problems with narcotics in the city and gang violence. In March the French newspaper Le Mond wrote about the Belgian capital as “a hub for drugs coming from Antwerp. Shootings have proliferated in recent months”, they reported. Earlier Politico called Brussels a “hostage of drug crime”. The tit-for-tat with the Hungarians  could thus come as a convenient distraction from the socialist mayor’s woes in the traditionally left-voting Belgian capital.

 

Featured Image: Hungary Today