Hungary’s far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has caused outrage by saying that Hungarians “do not want to become a mixed race” and criticizing politicians and countries for welcoming immigrants and “mixing” European and non-European populations.
“There is a world in which European peoples are mixed with those arriving from outside Europe. This is a world of mixed races,” said Orbán, on Saturday (23), during an event in Romania. “And then there’s our world, where people from Europe move, work and move. […] That’s why we always fight: we’re willing to mix, but we don’t want to become mixed-race people.”
Prime Minister since 2010, populist Viktor Orbán was elected to his fifth consecutive term in April. Over the course of more than ten years in power, he has repeatedly attacked immigrants, human rights groups and the LGBTQIA+ community. The politician also defends in his project of “illiberal democracy” measures against freedom of the press.
This weekend’s statement sparked outrage. Katalin Cseh, a member of the opposition Momentum party, repudiated Orbán’s speech and expressed solidarity with immigrants and “mestizo” people in Hungary. “Whatever this senseless racist outburst means: your skin color may be different, you may come from Europe or other countries — you are one of us, we are proud of you. Diversity strengthens the nation, not weakens it. “, he wrote on social media.
The Federation of Hungarian Jewish Communities released a statement in which it said Orbán’s words raised “serious concerns”. “Based on our historical experiences and our family histories, it is important to raise our voice against expressions in Hungarian public life that are prone to misunderstanding,” the group said, also informed that it had requested a meeting with the prime minister.
More than half a million Hungarian Jews were murdered during the Nazi Holocaust in World War II. Today, there are around 75,000 to 100,000 Jews in the country, most of them in Budapest. “On two feet, working, talking and sometimes thinking that there is only one race on this planet: Homo Sapiens Sapiens,” Hungary’s Chief Rabbi Robert Frolich wrote on social media.
Orbán’s anti-immigration measures helped his party, Fidesz, to win elections in 2018 and 2022. In contrast, a few days after his victory, the European Union Executive announced the start of the disciplinary process that will cut funds from the country. due to violations of principles of the rule of law.
Also on Saturday, thousands of people demonstrated in defense of LGBTQIA+ rights in Budapest, the Hungarian capital. The protests came a year after a law considered discriminatory came into force in the European Union (EU).
Amid rainbow-colored flags and banners, protesters condemned the text that prohibits the “representation or promotion” of homosexuality, gender resignation or sex change among minors. Orbán insists the law is not homophobic and aims to “protect the rights of children”.
On the trip to Romania, Orbán, who is an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, also said that the sanctions imposed by the West against Russia had not worked and asked the European Union for a new strategy to restore peace. He claims that the policy harms the economy of European countries more than that of Moscow — mainly in view of the issue of natural gas exports, used as an instrument of pressure by the Kremlin.
Orbán faces his most difficult moment since taking power. The country is under economic pressure from double-digit inflation, as well as EU funding cuts due to violations of rule of law principles. At the beginning of the year, the Hungarian prime minister received the visit and was called a brother by President Jair Bolsonaro (PL).
