The Prime Minister again offered Hungary’s condolences to France, and then quoted French President François Hollande, who has said that what has happened is an act of war.

Mr. Orbán, however, said that not only France and the French people are at war. France is a member of the EU, and in this respect, the EU was attacked in Paris, and “this is therefore our affair, also”, the Prime Minister stressed. He added that what happened on Friday night can happen elsewhere throughout Europe: “We are not safe either”.

Regarding the question of humanity, he said the following: “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 Prime Minister stressed that the right to life takes precedence over all other rights, as does the right to self-defence. There is no ideology or economic interest of any kind which should allow us to risk the lives of European citizens, he said.

In Mr. Orbán’s view, the EU is rudderless, 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 a number of 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”, he said. He remarked that in Brussels people are still claiming that immigration is a good thing. Meanwhile, he said, we see evidence day after day that immigration is a bad thing. This situation is not win-win, he said, but lose-lose.

“We feel that the very existence of Europe is at stake”, he said. In Brussels, however, all the wrong messages are being sent, with invitations being sent out to migrants, instead of telling them firmly and honestly that what they will find here is not at all what they expect.

The Prime Minister said that it has been ascertained that the terrorists are using mass migration deliberately and systematically to mix in among the masses of people who are leaving their homes in the hope of a better life. All the leaders of Europe knew about the threat, he continued, with the Greeks a long time ago warning Europe that the arrival of jihadists cannot be ruled out. He further pointed out that the migrants are coming from regions where European states are conducting military operations.

“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”, he said.

He further stated that a single terrorist is one too many, and that it is painful to even consider how many terrorists may have crossed the territory of Hungary.

Mr. Orbán said that mass migration poses three grave threats, which is why it must be stopped. He said that mass migration represents an increased threat of terrorism, and today this is not a mere threat of terror but “the fact and reality of terror”. Mass migration also increases the threat of crime, even if it is not politically correct to speak about this; what is more, “in the Western world this fact is 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”, he said.

The Prime Minister said that the third threat from the mass relocation of people from other continents and cultures is to our culture, our way of life, our customs and our 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”, he remarked.

The Prime Minister repeatedly criticised the mandatory resettlement quotas, which are, in his view, “not Europe”. They contradict the spirit of Europe; they are also pointless, because they do not resolve the crisis, but aggravate it, being an invitation for migrants. He pointed out that the rapidly escalating pressure will cause European countries to reinstate their borders within the EU, which in time could mean the end of the Schengen system.

The Prime Minister also described the quotas as illegitimate, as European leaders have no jurisdiction to make decisions on issues like this.

“I propose that we […] continue to insist that we ourselves should decide whom we want to let in and whom we want to live together with”, he proposed to the House.

He said that “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 Prime Minister urged a new European policy, suggesting that we “forget about political correctness”, and “reconsider our European policy on the basis of four self-evident commandments”: we must protect the external borders of the EU; we must protect our culture; we must protect our economic interests; and we must give the people the right to have a say in European decisions.

Mr. Orbán closed his speech by making clear that “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.” He said that European governments must listen to the people’s voice.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s address in Parliament before the start of daily business

MTI; Photo: Károly Árvai/kormany.hu