State Secretary for International Communications and Relations, Zoltán Kovács has hit back at a commentary piece featured on Project Syndicate which criticizes Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and compares him to President Trump.
According to the author, the American President has learned a lot from the Hungarian Prime Minister in terms of migration and “how to destroy a democracy”. Kovács, however, says the article lacks any facts to back its claims while the platform it was published on is “closely affiliated to pro-migration, Soros interests”.
David M. Driesen, a professor at Syracuse University College of Law, states that it was not Donald Trump who “invented his immigration policy”, instead, he borrowed it from “his fellow autocrat” Viktor Orbán.
Driesen goes on to say Trump has embarked on a similar program to use these anti-immigrant policies to destroy the rule of law and establish an autocracy.
According to MTI, Driesen claims PM Orbán has made the demonization of immigrants a defining feature of his administration and both him and Trump “pursue racist policies of turning back immigrants”. The author points out that although there hasn’t been a terrorist attack in Hungary yet, PM Orbán justifies his policies by claiming that “immigrants fleeing extreme violence and poverty are engaged in terrorism”.
The author also highlights that the Hungarian PM has “destroyed the independence of Hungary’s civil service and thoroughly politicized the administration of the law.” Talking about the Hungarian press, the law professor says that PM Orbán used economic pressure to force Hungarian opposition media to close.
According to the author “Orbán is a pariah” in Europe for having “eroded Hungarian democracy”, yet Trump recently invited him in the White House describing Orbán as “respected all over Europe.”
“Trump and his advisers are not making America great or even good; they are making it Hungarian,” Driesen closes his thoughts.
In further response to the commentary, Kovács claims that Project Syndicate is closely affiliated to “pro-migration, Soros interests,” adding that the piece lacks any real argument. The politician finds the article biased as it distorts the Hungarian government’s stance on migration as the Hungarian government does not claim that immigrants are all engaged in terrorism, only that there is a direct link between immigration and terrorism.
According to the state secretary, the refugees fleeing persecution and war may be “granted entry to Hungary, in accord with international conventions”. Kovács also rejects them demonizing migrants “as the sight of illegal migrants camping outside Budapest’s Keleti Pályaudvar railway station was an everyday reality.”
Kovács concludes that although it does not appeal to the liberal, “pro-migration cabal” the most prominent feature that both President Trump and PM Orbán have is that “they both bring a voice of reason to the debate about migration” and both of them insist “security and prosperity of our own citizens take first priority.”
Photo credit: About Hungary original