Viktor Orbán to German press: “We do not view these people as Muslim refugees. We view them as Islamic invaders.”

An original translation of the interview in Bild’s print edition of today:

 

Bild Deutschland, January 8, 2018 – page 2

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in an interview with BILD

“It Was You Who Wanted The Migrants – Not Us”

By N. Blome, Ch. Stenzel and D. Biskup (photos)

He is controversial in Europe, but guest of honor in Bavaria, at the CSU convention in Seeon. Bild interview with the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (54).

Bild: Mr. Orbán, Social Democrat chief Martin Schulz demanded that the CSU chief Seehofer should put you in your place.

Viktor Orbán: I have always had great respect for Martin Schulz, because he is a good fighter. But to be amusing as a fighter, and to carry the responsibility for shaping the politics of a country are two different things. What was fine and nice in Brussels – where there are no visible consequences – is a different story than being the chief of a party in Germany and communicating with other countries. We think we deserve more respect.

“We do not want to be coerced”

Bild: For what?

Orbán: Hungary is one of the few stories of success of the last decade. Successful West, poor East – those times are over. 2010, when I went into office, the unemployment rate was 12 percent. Now, it is 4 percent. The economic growth is more than 4 percent, 2009 it still was minus 6 percent. The household deficit is notably lower than 3 percent. If you fairly assess us, we are doing quite well.

Bild: But that is not what the criticism was about. How fair is it, to be a member of the EU but not to stick by the rules? Hungary was supposed to accept only 1294 refugees. You refused, went to the European court, lost, called the verdict “a shame”, and still refused.

Orbán: More than 20 states did not adhere to the quota, yet, it is only we who are being criticized, this is a case of applying double standards. The fact is that the verdict only referred to the EU resolution that basically expired at the same time… there must be new discussions.

Bild: Would you, otherwise, have accepted the verdict and accepted the refugees?

Orbán: Yes. We stand on the basis of the rule of law.

Bild: But the EU is not only based on law, but also on solidarity. Why can Germany accept 2 million refugees, while Hungary can’t accept 2,000?

“Christian and Islamic society will never blend”

Orbán: The difference is: It was you who wanted the migrants. Not us. We do our job by protecting the Schengen outer border with Serbia. This has cost us about 1 billion Euros additionally since 2015, and Brussels is not paying a single cent for that. The solution to the problem certainly isn’t to distribute people, who reside in the EU illegally, across the whole EU territory. We think one should help where the problem lies, and not take immigration here.

Bild: Why don’t the Hungarians want refugees? 

Orbán: We do not view these people as Muslim refugees. We view them as Islamic invaders. For example, in order to arrive in Hungary, from Syria, you have to cross four countries, all of them not as rich as Germany, but stable. So, already there, they aren’t running for their lives. This, too, proves that they are economic migrants, looking for a better life.

Bild: You say that you represent the will of the Hungarian people.

Orbán: I can only speak for the Hungarian people, and they don’t want migration. According to my understanding, it is not possible that the people have an opinion about such a profound topic, and the government refuses to act accordingly. We are talking about the sovereignty and the cultural identity of the country. We need to reserve the right to decide who can live on Hungarian territory.

Bild: No Muslims, apparently…

Orbán: We believe that a high number of Muslims necessarily leads to parallel societies, as Christian and Muslim society will never blend. Multiculturalism is just an illusion. We don’t want such a thing. And we don’t want to be coerced. Take Budapest as a positive example: a cosmopolitan melting pot without parallel societies.

How does Viktor Orbán think about Brussels, Europe, freedom of press in his country – read the whole interview on Bild.de.

notes:
The full interview in German is here, you will need a monthly subscription to read it.
Bild is the largest German-language newspaper, the best-selling non-Asian newspaper, and has the eighth-largest circulation worldwide.

17 Replies to “Viktor Orbán to German press: “We do not view these people as Muslim refugees. We view them as Islamic invaders.””

  1. Refugees are ‘Muslim invaders’ seeking better lives – Hungarian PM (RT, Jan 8, 2018)
    https://www.rt.com/news/415284-orban-muslim-refugees-invaders/

    “Refugees in Europe are just “Muslim invaders” and economic migrants seeking better lives, Hungarian PM Viktor Orban has said, adding that the large number of Muslims in the EU had led to the appearance of ‘parallel societies.’

    Asked in an interview with the German Bild newspaper why Budapest does not want to accept any refugees, Orban replied: “We don’t consider these people to be Muslim refugees.” Instead, the tough-talking politician said they were regarded as “Muslim invaders.”

    Asylum seekers must cross four countries to reach Hungary from Syria, all of which are not as rich as Germany but are economically stable, the PM said. He was apparently referring to Turkey, Greece, Macedonia and Serbia – a common route for migrants heading for ‘wealthy’ Europe.

    “So, they are not running for their lives [in these countries]. They are merely economic migrants seeking a better life,” Orban concluded. He stressed though, that he can only speak for the Hungarians and they “don’t want” immigration. In his view, the government simply can’t go against the will of the people.

    Going further, the prime minister noted that no refugee wants to go to Portugal, for example, adding that the majority of asylum seekers simply wanted to live in prosperous Germany.

    “The reason why people are in your country is not because they are refugees, but because they want a German life,” he said, describing the issue “politically” as a European problem but, “sociologically,” as a German problem.

    Orban specifically targeted Germany and Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ‘open-door’ policy towards asylum seekers. “I’ve never understood how chaos, anarchy and illegal border crossings are viewed as something good in a country like Germany, which we view as the best example of discipline and the rule of law,” he said.

    The recent wave of refugees reaching Europe is merely an invasion, according to Orban. “If someone wants to come to your house, he knocks on your door and asks: ‘Can we come in, can we stay?’ They [asylum seekers] didn’t do that, they crossed the border illegally,” he stated.

    In the interview, he said that multiculturalism was only “an illusion,” as Christian and Muslim societies “will never unite.” According to the Hungarian leader, the presence of a large number of Muslims results in the appearance of “parallel societies.” No such situation exists in Budapest due to a low number of migrants, he said.

    Orban, a harsh critic of migration and mandatory migrant quotas, has repeatedly cast doubt on the validity of migrants’ humanitarian plight. He once called asylum seekers “a Trojan horse for terrorism.”

    In September, Hungary claimed that fences on its borders with Croatia and Serbia had helped to cut the inflow of migrants by over 99 percent since 2015. The country’s border fence has been repeatedly criticized by other European states, as well as by EU politicians, but Budapest has resisted pressure to remove it.

    Last month, Budapest, along with Poland and the Czech Republic, defended its “right” to reject EU-imposed refugee quotas amid pressure from the European Commission. Despite repeated EC warnings, the three countries continue to pursue a course of non-compliance, arguing that migrants pose a direct threat to the public’s security.”

      • If a person disagrees with Orban, they are welcome to share their opinion. A one-opinion discussion board is no better than an echo-chamber of SJWs and another identity-politics surfaces.

  2. The longer Orban is able to continue his common sense deliveries, the greater the chance freedom will survive.

    • The way things are going he won’t have to hold out many more years before the EU is dead and he will be fortifying his borders, as will all sensible nations.

    • I think the Visegrad 4 will wind up taking in the European refugees one day. There will be a new Iron Curtain, but this time, it will be to keep people out.

        • “In 1931, Atholl published a 200-page book titled The Conscription of a People. It was a blistering, well-documented indictment of the savage collectivization of life in the Soviet Union. Her investigations revealed that

          Russia has carried through revolution on a scale which knows no parallel, and which, even after thirteen years, is as ruthless as in its early days. She has undermined marriage and is rapidly breaking up family life. She wages ceaseless war on all religion. She is responsible for the most comprehensive and continuous experiment in the nationalization of industry, banking and trade that has ever been seen.”

          • Ominously so, Richard.

            Russia, China – and now the West is falling.

            First prescribing bohemian living – to create Useful Idiots – which justifies a righteous psychology of a backlash of hate towards these decadent bourgeois. Just like the West supplying Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction, and then accusing him of it. The iron fist of Communism after setting up the Animal Farm of Socialism will lead the millionaire actors and actresses to their slaughter. Turning the mob against them on a dime. Mass mind control.

  3. “We do not view these people as Muslim refugees. We view them as Islamic invaders.”

    Finally, the truth outs. At day’s end, Orban will emerge from Europe’s smoking ruins a hero of the highest order. A comparison can be made to “The Emperor’s New Clothes”, in that all it takes one disbelieving voice to break the spell.

    However, in this case, with EU propaganda running so strong (e.g., KIKA Rapefugee Paean – Hat Tip: Miss Piggy), it will take more than just a single truthful voice to reawaken the slumbering masses.

    Fortunately, Victor Orban is not a lone voice in the wilderness. Others, like Poland’s Andrzej Duda, Czech Republic’s Milos Zeman, and Slovakia’s Andrej Kiska, are all fearlessly raising the roof with equal vigor.

    May the lot of these brave and defiant leaders see a once-again free Europe in their lifetimes.