Viktor Orban got people to sit up and pay attention on the weekend with a verbal swipe. In front of thousands of supporters in the Romanian spa town of Baile Tusnad, the Hungarian prime minister railed against several EU member states and their asylum policies. Orban openly used racist vocabulary. He said, for example, that Europe is divided into “that world in which the European peoples mingle with those who come from outside.” On the other hand, there is the Carpathian Basin, where European peoples such as Hungarians, Romanians, Slovaks and others intermingled. “We’re ready to mix together, but we don’t want to become a mixed race,” Orban said.
The idea that the National Socialists, among others, maintain that there are different races of people is scientifically untenable and is part of racist world views. This ideology erroneously attributes characteristics to entire groups of people based on physical differences such as skin color.
Romanian nationalists kidnapped by police
Orban performed in the Romanian Baile Tusnad, in a compact Hungarian settlement area in Transylvania. Until 1918, the region belonged to Hungary. The Fidesz party has held a summer academy there for more than three decades. Orban, co-founder of Fidesz, traditionally gives the closing speech there. Initially, Romanian nationalists tried to disrupt Orban’s speech. They shouted: “Transylvania will forever remain Romanian soil!” The Romanian police took them.
Orban also used Islamophobic vocabulary in his speech. He insisted on protecting Europe from the onslaught of “Islamic civilization” with border fences and deportations. Hungary had suffered several defeats before the European Court of Justice (ECJ) over Orban’s repressive asylum policy.
With Trump and Merkel, war in Ukraine “would never have happened”
Orban also addressed Russia in his speech. Before the Russian attack on Ukraine, the West ignored Moscow’s security claims, criticized Orban. With US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel “this war would never have happened,” he said — apparently guided by the assessment that these politicians — like himself — had stood for more pro-Russian policies.
‘Western sanctions will not shake Russia’
The right-wing politician sees the West’s strategy against Russia as a failure. “We’re in a car with four flat tires,” he explained. “The sanctions are not shaking Russia,” he said. In Europe, “governments would fall like dominoes”. He mentioned the developments in Italy, Great Britain, Bulgaria and Estonia.
Hungary has been a member of NATO since 1999 and of the EU since 2004. So far, Orban has supported the Union’s sanctions policy, but has forced an exception for Russian oil imports with a veto threat. Orban still maintains a fairly good relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Negotiations with Moscow and Ukraine should not be arming, he said in his speech.
Orban has ruled since 2010. He is accused of undermining democracy and the rule of law, which also puts him in conflict with the EU. Several proceedings are currently pending against Hungary, including one under the new rule of law mechanism, which could lead to the withdrawal of EU funding.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
