On Thursday morning the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) of the European Parliament (EP) conducted a hearing on the state of the rule of law in Hungary. In relation to this the Prime Minister declared that prior to 2013 Hungary settled all of its democracy-related disputes with the European Union, meaning that it now has no dispute with Brussels relating to democracy. The EP, he said, is using this as an excuse to attack Hungary.
Mr. Orbán said that the EP is the most politically motivated part of “the Brussels machine”: if something happens in Hungary that encroaches on the interests of major powers, large corporations or powerful people, the EP is the first to “jump in to attack our homeland”.
With regard to the fact that Hungary is being taken to court on three separate issues, Mr. Orbán stated that this is also something that must be dealt with, and Hungary must put forward its arguments with convincing force. He said that “the bright-eyed Commission” will then come to its own decision, which Hungary will take note of.
He explained that the issues of Central European University (CEU), bogus NGOs and the migrant quota are all linked to the issue of immigration, and can all be traced to George Soros. The Prime Minister added that CEU is George Soros’s university, he is the person financing non-governmental organisations and ensuring their operations, and he is also the one giving them orders. Moreover, the whole issue of immigration is also part of his plan.
During the interview the Prime Minister produced a document, about which he said: “This is a six-point plan – an expression that George Soros himself uses – and it states that a mixed-population Europe must be created; the Government must take action against a very clear plan that represents a real threat”.
He pointed out that what Hungary is saying is that “we respect the fact that for yourselves you want a future like this and a mixed population. That is your business. But we ask only one thing: that you also respect the fact that we want a different future for ourselves and our children”.
They want to strip us of our right to freedom
The Prime Minister asked whether or not Hungary has the freedom to live like this and choose a future of this kind, concluding that this is a question relating to sovereignty and freedom. Today, he said, it would seem that those who want to “force on us” regulations which enable them to send immigrants to Hungary, “despite this being against our wishes”, want to strip Hungary of this, of its right to freedom.
In relation to the fact that Hungarian public figures have nominated George Soros for the Nobel Peace Prize, he said that this demonstrates that Hungary is a free country, and all citizens are free to nominate whoever they want. He added that “luckily we aren’t the ones who have to decide on this”.
Mr. Orbán also said that there is an increasing chasm in Western Europe between what the people think about immigration and what their elected leaders are doing. This chasm can widen to the point at which the system corrects itself and the leaders are sent packing, he noted, adding that “in the end, the vast majority of people will agree with our standpoint”.
In addition to speaking about Hungary’s achievements in economic sovereignty, the Prime Minister said that he would like Hungarian media to be in Hungarian hands to the same extent that German media is in German hands and American media is in American hands. Mr. Orbán noted that in his experience it seems that when the left has purchased media outlets no objections have been raised, but when the owners are national conservatives then suddenly “it’s the end of press freedom”. Former MSZP prime minister Péter Medgyessy once said that if the right wants their own a television station they should go out and buy one for themselves, he noted, and “we accepted his advice”. Even if there were some kind of intent to suppress opinion, in a free society that would be practically impossible, he pointed out, because the increasing popularity of social media means that “we have all become journalists”.
The Prime Minister was also asked about a statement by economist János Kornis, who said that the Hungarian economy is not at risk of collapse, but is not developing rapidly enough. Mr. Orbán stressed that together with experts he is also searching for a means to increase growth from the 3–5 per cent range to above 5 per cent. He observed that those who are critical of this forget that present growth is high compared with the rest of the EU, and that under previous socialist-liberal coalitions not only was growth much lower, but “they took the country to the brink of bankruptcy”.
There are activities that are aimed at restricting the country’s independence, the Prime Minister explained, and they can be linked to George Soros, “to his money and to his machine”. Recently 18 billion dollars was transferred from George Soros’s businesses to his foundation, a global network, and the money is being used to finance activists. Several hundred are also being paid in Hungary, and several thousand will be paid during next year’s election campaign. Across the country centres will be established that will operate like political parties, in the hope that a new government can be formed by people representing the standpoint on immigration held by George Soros and Brussels. This is what is at stake in the election, he stressed, adding that this is a definable process with participants and sums of money; this is something about which there is “detailed national security intelligence”.
We must learn from the West’s mistakes
The Prime Minister said that Hungary must learn from the West’s mistakes, because the mixing of certain cultures will not lead to a higher order of life, but will instead lead towards a society of a much worse quality. And accordingly, he declared, this must be prevented, and now there is still the opportunity to do so.
Mr. Orbán said that it would be wrong to assume that behind every statement supporting immigration there are people of bad intent wishing to further their own selfish financial interests, and who know full well that they are doing wrong, but are nevertheless prepared to do so for money. Although such people do exist, he said, there are a huge number of people who do not have bad intentions, but honestly believe that the right path towards humanity’s development is for people from different cultures to mix and create a world with a mixed-population.
The Prime Minster said he understands why some people are enthusiastic about this kind of vision, but in his view this “goes against the rules of common sense”. This is ideology and utopia, he added, because if we become mixed with people coming from very distant cultures with different views on fundamental issues, then the result will not be the good life, but the emergence of parallel societies: we will be importing hatred and anti-Semitism, and religious freedom and our views on gender equality will come to an end.
