“The right response to ever increasing migration pressure is not retreat, but the reinforcement of border protection and the statement of the fact that Europe must be protected, and entry cannot be allowed to just anyone”, Government Spokesperson István Hollik said on Hungarian M1 television’s Thursday evening current affairs program.

Mr. Hollik, who was asked with relation to the migrant caravans being organised in Greece, said: “According to the pro-immigration politicians, legal immigration channels must be established, and they believe that what is currently happening in Greece can be prevented in this way, but this is something the Government absolutely rejects”.

“The Government is also receiving secret service information according to which more and more people are joining this caravan, and if it reaches critical mass it will be difficult to stop them”, he stated.

“This is what will happen if Europe casts its vote in favour of creating legal migration routes, and this is something that the Hungarian Government does not want”, he stressed.

Mr. Hollik said that if a migrant caravan were to reach the Hungarian border the authorities will be able to handle even that; police and military personnel are at full readiness and will protect the border. “The migrants must also know that they cannot enter Hungary’s territory illegally”, he added.

“The primary question now is not finding those responsible, but protecting Europe’s borders”, he said. “Once they have been protected, then we must find those responsible”, he continued, adding: “This is why the European Parliament (EP) elections couldn’t be more relevant”. Because in the Government Spokesperson’s opinion, at the upcoming elections every European Union citizen must answer the question of whether they want such migrant caravans to set out for Europe, and for tens and hundreds of thousand of migrants to come to Europe and change European civilisation, or whether they do not want this and wold like to preserve the continent’s Christian roots.

In reply to a question on the so-called migrant cards, Mr. Hollik said there is “obvious fudging” with relation to the issue: first the European Commission denied their existence, then admitted it, then it transpired that they have no idea who is being given these debit cards.

He pointed out that Syrian citizen Hassan F, who was apprehended in Hungary on suspicion of terrorism, also had a migrant card, but it is unknown when payment of funding to the card was terminated. “So, it may even be the case that funding was still being paid onto the card when he was already remanded in custody”, he indicated.

“The migrant card system must be suspended, and following the EP elections there can be a debate on whether such a programme should be operated; in the Government’s opinion the answer is clearly no”, he declared.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)