According to Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó, First Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans should resign from his post after having accused Hungary’s Prime Minister and the country’s government of anti-Semitism.

At a press conference in Budapest on Friday, Mr. Szijjártó rejected the accusation, calling it unfair and unacceptable, stressing that Hungary “has done more than anyone in Europe to combat anti-Semitism”.

“We introduced the National Memorial Day for the Victims of the Holocaust, have renovated synagogues not just in Hungary, but also in neighbouring countries, and have made Holocaust denial a punishable offence according to the new Penal Code. Hungary’s new Constitution, which has been placed on new foundations, guarantees the security of Hungarian Jews as part of the Hungarian nation, and the Hungarian Jewish Community can always count on the respect, friendship and protection of the Hungarian Government”, he said, also adding that “we have introduced a policy of zero tolerance with regard to anti-Semitism”.

According to the Hungarian Foreign Minister, the accusation made by Frans Timmermans is also an extreme insult to Hungary, “and if an EU official gravely insults a Member State on such an issue, then he can have no choice but to resign from office”.

The Foreign Minister called the EC Vice-President a coward, stating the “strong and furthermore unfounded accusation” published in an interview with German liberal weekly Die Zeit was not made face-to-face to Viktor Orbán, but only later, when nobody could respond to it immediately.

In the interview, in reaction to suggestions that the Hungarian Prime Minister was “clearly anti-Semitic” in view of his calling George Soros a financial speculator in the European Parliament a few days ago, the European Commission’s First Vice-President for Fundamental Rights said that was exactly how he had understood the Prime Minister’s words and was outraged, but did not react to the comment during the debate.

Mr. Szijjártó pointed out that Hungary’s government undoubtedly has major issues with George Soros and George Soros clearly wants the fall of the current Hungarian Government, but “these disputes have absolutely nothing to do with George Soros’s origins or religion”.

According to the Hungarian Foreign Minister, it is not the countries who have already done a lot to protect Europe who are a threat to the unity of the European Union, because “the unity of the European Union is being endangered by politicians like Frans Timmermans”, just as Brexit “is also the fault of Brussels politicians such as Frans Timmermans, because of whom the competitiveness of the European Union has without a doubt fallen in recent years”, and who have thus far been incapable of providing any solutions to the challenges we face.

Timmermans “would like to flood Europe and the European Union with illegal immigrants”, when in fact those who support illegal immigration “are endangering Europe, and within it Hungary”, which the Hungarian Government will not accept no matter what pressure it is put under.

The fact that in recent years Hungary has made an extreme effort to protect its borders and those of the European Union means “we have done more than anyone else in the interests of protecting Europe and the Jewish community living in Europe”, Mr. Szijjártó said at the press conference, which was also aired by Hungarian M1 television.

(MTI)