Riots that broke out in major Western European cities on New Year’s Eve have demonstrated a direct link between illegal migration and the deterioration of public security, Prime Minister’s Chief Domestic Security Advisor György Bakondi said on Monday.
Speaking on TV2’s Mokka programme, Chief Advisor Bakondi said that police officers, firefighters and paramedics were attacked on New Year’s Eve in several countries, including Germany, Italy and France, by individuals with what he described as a “migration background”.
He noted that more than 1,700 vehicles were damaged in France, while a Christian church was set on fire in the Netherlands. By contrast, no similar incidents were reported in Central and Eastern Europe, including the Czech Republic, Poland or Budapest, he added.
According to Chief Advisor Bakondi, political leaders in Western Europe are increasingly recognising the need to take action to curb migration. As a result, several countries are tightening immigration rules and accelerating the deportation of those who violate the law, he said.
Chief Advisor Bakondi argued that the root of the problem lies in the fact that many migrants, mostly of Islamic background, are either unable or unwilling to integrate into Western societies. Instead, he said, they seek to live according to their own rules rather than the laws of the host countries, leading to increasingly aggressive and expansionist behaviour across Europe.
He warned that the European Union’s proposed migration pact does not offer a solution, as it would distribute illegal migrants across the bloc, forcing countries where such problems are currently absent – such as Warsaw or Prague – to admit them. In his view, the pact seeks to generalise a model that has already led to serious security problems in Western Europe.
Chief Advisor Bakondi stressed that the Hungarian government will not change its migration policy under any pressure or financial penalties. Hungary’s approach, he said, is guided by the national interest, which prioritises sovereignty and the protection of public security.
