Orbán plans super-fence, raises specter of Muslim hordes

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Prime Minister Viktor Orbán promised to build a new, more permanent fence at Hungary’s southern border, boasting that “even birds can’t fly in without being checked,” during his regular biweekly radio interview, online news portal index.hu and other sources report today.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán during his radio interview today. (Photo: MTI/Szilárd Koszticsák)

Work on the new super-fence will begin once the minister of interior submits the necessary plans, said Orbán, who noted that he regards the current, heavily policed double fence of razor wire, equipped with thermal imaging cameras, as merely a temporary, hastily erected solution, requiring additional reinforcement.

“I’m not a heartless person, but the border cannot be protected with flowers and plush toys,” online portal origo.hu quoted the prime minister as saying. “The future of Europe and Hungary is at stake. The question is if we live together with hordes of Muslims, then what kind of public security will we have, and whether our daughters and wives will be safe. Why would we risk it?”

The prime minister stressed that whoever claims there is no connection between migration and terrorism “doesn’t know what they’re talking about, or for some reason is trying to deny facts that are plainer than day.” Orbán said the Hungarian government’s position is that terrorism has appeared and spread in Europe because hundreds of thousands of people have arrived unchecked from places that regard the Western world as the enemy. “There are states of semi-war, and in such circumstances we cannot take a risk,” he said.

In response to the question of what would happen if Western countries sent back refugees arriving from Hungary, Orbán replied that “there will be no one to drag back to Hungary because even birds cannot fly in without being checked. The Hungarian-Serb and Hungarian-Croat borders are hermetically sealed.”

Index.hu observed that the putative super-fence is based on several hypothetical situations. According to Orbán, it is possible that Turkey’s refugee policy will change, in which case it is possible that Ankara will allow refugees currently in Turkey to travel further. Should both these things occur, then – according to the prime minister – it may happen that “hundreds of thousands of migrants will appear at the border, and they must be kept out even by force.”

On the subject of Hungary’s bid to hold the Olympics in 2024, for which Orbán lobbied in Brazil, the prime minister conceded that Budapest would have a tough time beating the other three bidders, Paris, Rome and Los Angeles. “Three Goliaths and one David are competing for the right to host the Olympics,” he said. At the same time, he said he would like to see the Games come to Hungary as “the Olympics would bring massive economic benefits. We scarcely have to make any investments that we would not need to make anyway.”

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