“Make Europe great again. » With the motto of Donald Trump, whose victory would make him toast with champagne, the Hungarian far-right Prime Minister ended his speech to the European Parliament, on the occasion of the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU which corresponds to him this semester, and in which he broadcast his most xenophobic speech by linking immigration to the rise of “anti-Semitism, homophobia and violence against women”.
Orbán, against whom the EU has opened proceedings over its homophobic laws and who has a history of convictions for violating the right to asylum, reiterated this message to the applause of the far right (his group, Patriots for Europe, is the third parliamentary force), and the reproaches of the progressive forces. The left sang the anti-fascist resistance anthem Bella Ciao at the end of their speech while the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, asked for silence. “It’s not Eurovision,” he told parliamentarians: “It looks like Casa de Papel.”
Beyond the anecdote, the far-right leader opted for toughening immigration policies by defending the creation of detention centers for migrants outside the borders of the EU as the only means of controlling flows. “Without centers hot spot We will not be able to control illegal immigration in Europe. “Once someone enters the border, we will not be able to deport them later,” he said. Hungary is one of 17 countries that have promoted a document in which they ask the European Commission for measures to speed up expulsions and which even include sanctions for migrants who do not cooperate with the return.
Ursula von der Leyen entered the fray at the end of her response by criticizing Hungary’s release of criminals accused of human trafficking early last year. “It is not a question of fighting against illegal immigration in Europe. “This does not protect our Union,” he criticized him. “And speaking of who to let in, how is it possible that the Hungarian government invites Russian citizens into our Union without additional security checks? rest of the capitals.
“And how can the Hungarian government allow Chinese police to operate on its territory? It is not a question of defending the sovereignty of Europe. It’s a back door for foreign interference,” complained Von der Leyen, who limited himself to greeting Orbán with a cold handshake.
This Wednesday is one of those busy days at the European Parliament, where socialists, liberals, greens and the left got up early to take a photo with posters against the Hungarian far right before the debate in the plenary session in Strasbourg. The European People’s Party held a press conference, and throughout the day there were other calls for the press to respond to Orbán.
The debate in the European Parliament was filled with criticism of the Hungarian Prime Minister, with the exception of far-right forces. “You didn’t talk about Ukraine,” reprimanded EPP spokesperson Manfred Weber, who questioned his trip to Russia and China from the start of his presidency, sparking criticism. rejection from the rest of the European partners, who even went so far as to refer to the events of the Hungarian presidency (the commissioners do not attend the informal meetings held in this country). “His trip was not a peace mission. “This served as propaganda for the autocrats,” the German told him, who also assured that “corruption is destroying the future of Hungary.”
Similar criticisms came from the Social Democratic caucus, which accused him of “giving in to Putin.” “How can we talk about homophobia and violence against women?” asked Iratxe García, who reminded him of the legal torpedoing of these groups in Hungary. “Their false patriotism is filled with an exaggerated defense of Christian values (…). Closing borders to human beings fleeing war and persecution is a betrayal of Christian values,” said the S&D spokesperson.
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