Behind Viktor Orbán's War on Refugees in Hungary

BUDAPEST -- The refugee crisis so visible on the shores of the Mediterranean has now dramatically materialized in the heart of Europe: 71 men, women and children were found dead in an abandoned truck in Austria, followed by the spectacle of thousands of desperate migrants locked down in a Budapest train station.

Who would have expected that refugees from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, having rolled and walked through Turkey, Greece, Macedonia and Serbia in search of safety and a better life, would be government-trapped in EU-member Hungary?

The Images Are Déjà Vu -- But Not the Outcome

The drama and chaos in Hungary today induce a powerful sense of déjà vu. In 1989, thousands of East Germans gathered in Budapest because Hungary had given up the mines and barbed wire sealing the border with Austria. They demanded to be let through to democratic West Germany and, in an extraordinary historic moment, the government heeded their wish.

Contrast that with the 175 km-long razor-tape mesh called "NATO wire," a barricade hastily built this summer along Hungary's border with Serbia. The jubilation of East Germans has been replaced by desperate cries of "Germany, Germany!" from those who are barred from getting on trains for which they had already paid. Forced to stay, but also recklessly left to fend for themselves, they are cared for only by brave volunteers driven by compassion, anguish and embarrassment.

Hungarian authorities have blamed the current situation on Europe's misguided approach to migration in general and -- opening a new front in their anti-EU rhetoric -- on Germany in particular. But much of the chaos we are witnessing is, in fact, intentionally manufactured by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán himself.

A Mixture of Poisons at Work

For many months now, Orbán has waged a hate campaign against both the "mostly Muslim" refugees, and "Europe" that is "mentoring them." To sum up his narrative: the refugees are profiteering pseudo-victims, plus actual lawbreakers, plus potential terrorists, and otherwise tools invited to Hungary by multinational capital and the left-wingers of the world to ruin this unique nation through liberalism and multiculturalism. They hate us because we Hungarians are building an illiberal state and have never adopted multiculturalism, which, by the way, has already ruined the West. And while we show the world how to remain migrant-free, culturally separate and homogenous, we nevertheless also do this "defending European Christianity."

Thus, Orban is enriching and weaponizing an indignant xenophobia that was instilled in Hungary as an impact of its territorial losses after the 1918 collapse of the Habsburg commonwealth. He continues to generate new domestic and international conflicts, posturing as the defender of national interest. He badly needs external enemies and local quislings because his electorate has eroded amidst persistent news of corruption and growing competition from the ultra-nationalist Jobbik party.

Fear-Mongering: A Growth Industry

Orbán kicked off his battle early this year, even before Hungarians perceived that refugees "existed." He sent a misleadingly named "National Consultation" survey to every Hungarian citizen. Not too subtle, it featured heavily leading questions, such as: "Do you agree that mistaken immigration policies contribute to the spread of terrorism?" and "Do you agree with the government that instead of allocating funds to immigration we should support Hungarian families and those children yet to be born?"

The anti-migrant message was amplified through a nationwide billboard campaign that warned refugees -- in Hungarian! -- "If you come to Hungary, don't take the jobs of Hungarians." This was followed by the highly publicized construction of the fence along the Serbian border, a move that was more PR than protection, since the wire mesh fence is readily penetrable.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban arrives for the summit of Visegrad Four (V4) countries to discuss the migrant crisis in Europe. Matej Divizna/Getty Images.

Next came the designation of a border patrolling police unit, taking its name "határvadászok" or "border hunters" from a WWII military unit deployed to chase Serbian insurgents. This was meant to appeal to the followers of Jobbik, which long promised to bring back the Border Guards (dismissed 25 years ago with fall of the Communist regime).

Barriers need foundations and guards need motivations. The government capped its campaign by legally barring from asylum status anyone entering Hungary via countries declared safe by Parliament. Never mind that it is Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans who arrived from Serbia. That country neither has war nor persecutes Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans -- proclaims the latest Catch-22 rule. As Orban also made clear that Muslim asylum seekers are unwelcome, the ban goes full circle.

All these emotional messages of rejection were uttered about people who definitely do not want to stay in Hungary. But by trapping thousands of angry asylum-seekers in his capital, Orban could utilize them as whipping boys in the education of his voters.

The Crime of Freedom Is Back

The Hungarian government could have constructively addressed both the needs of the migrants (set out in the Geneva conventions) and the European asylum regulations (prescribed by the Dublin texts) -- if it had the intent to do so. But Orban has another agenda. As of mid-September, crossing Hungary's border without permission will be a crime again, punishable with up to three years prison time for the migrants, and more for "helpers" (possibly including aid organizations). It is this simple for Hungary to eliminate a human right: while Geneva prohibits robbing a refugee's freedom of movement, it is perfectly legal to incarcerate a criminal. The trick, then, is to make sure the asylum seeker is classified as a felon.

More radical changes are in the works. This month Fidesz and Jobbik are going to vote to deploy the military in the "refugee crisis." The military and police will be permitted to search homes without warrants in the name of combatting human trafficking.

"Quarantines" will be set up on the border with Serbia. Passage to Hungary will be only allowed to those with successfully granted asylum status; the rest will be deported back to Serbia. (Presumably almost all refuge seekers will be deported because coming from Serbia; see the Catch-22. The net result will be Orban's victory in channeling the flow of migrants to Croatia.)

As Bill Clinton observed, this is not an issue of values for Viktor Orbán. He only cares about his domestic ratings and an undisturbed recourse to Hungarian and European resources. If he has a principle, it is to downgrade the EU into a conglomerate that is not even a "Europe of nations" anymore, just a "Europe of nationalisms."

His opposition to refugee quotas and his rhetoric about accepting only Christians has resonated among the Visegrad-4 (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia). This may effectively tear Europe apart along an East-West divide. In other words, Viktor Orban has assumed the continental leadership of further distracting Europe from its erstwhile ideal of united democratic action.

The unfolding humanitarian crisis is rightly portrayed as an existential challenge for the European Union. Viktor Orban's willingness to escalate the crisis for his own political gain is one of the ways the challenge materializes. The EU has vital reasons for helping the Hungarians overcome their prime minister's sabotage of the continent's humanitarian vocation.

Earlier on WorldPost:

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• Migrants walk down a slope on their way to cross the Greek-Macedonian border near the vilage of Idomeni, northern Greece, on 4 September, 2015. Europe is facing an 'unprecedented humanitarian and political crisis' as it struggles with the huge influx of refugees and migrants, the European Commission's vice-president Frans Timmermans said Thursday. 'We must find European responses to a problem that cannot be resolved by countries individually,' Timmermans said ahead of talks with Greek Prime Minister Vassiliki Thanou on a crisis that has seen more than 230,000 people land on Greek shores this year. AFP PHOTO /Sakis Mitrolidis (Photo credit should read SAKIS MITROLIDIS/AFP/Getty Images)

• Migrants raise hands to catch bottles of waters given by volunteers of humanitarian organizations as they wait to cross the Greek-Macedonian border near the vilage of Idomeni, northern Greece, on 4 September, 2015. Europe is facing an 'unprecedented humanitarian and political crisis' as it struggles with the huge influx of refugees and migrants, the European Commission's vice-president Frans Timmermans said Thursday. 'We must find European responses to a problem that cannot be resolved by countries individually,' Timmermans said ahead of talks with Greek Prime Minister Vassiliki Thanou on a crisis that has seen more than 230,000 people land on Greek shores this year. AFP PHOTO /Sakis Mitrolidis (Photo credit should read SAKIS MITROLIDIS/AFP/Getty Images)

• Turkish soldiers prevent a journalist from crossing the Turkey-Syrian border post in Sanliurfa, on September 4, 2015, prior to the arrival of the hearse carrying the body of three-year old Aylan Kurdi , whose lifeless body washed ashore on a Turkish beach. Images of the toddler Aylan whose lifeless body washed ashore on a Turkish beach spread like wildfire through social media and his plight has dominated international headlines, in a heart-rending symbol of the mortal risks faced by tens of thousands of refugees desperate to reach Europe by sea. AFP PHOTO / OZAN KOSE (Photo credit should read OZAN KOSE/AFP/Getty Images)

• People shout slogans outside of a train that was stopped in Bicske, Hungary, Friday, Sept. 4, 2015. Over 150,000 migrants have reached Hungary this year, most coming through the southern border with Serbia. Many apply for asylum but quickly try to leave for richer EU countries. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

• A man holds onto a fence outside a train that was stopped in Bicske, Hungary, Friday, Sept. 4, 2015. Over 150,000 migrants have reached Hungary this year, most coming through the southern border with Serbia. Many apply for asylum but quickly try to leave for richer EU countries. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

• Asylum seekers sleep at Keleti underground railway station in Budapest, Hungary, Friday, Sept. 4, 2015. Over 150,000 people seeking to enter Europe have reached Hungary this year, most coming through the southern border with Serbia, and many apply for asylum but quickly try to leave for richer EU countries. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

• Asylum seekers sleep at Keleti underground railway station in Budapest, Hungary, Friday, Sept. 4, 2015. Over 150,000 people seeking to enter Europe have reached Hungary this year, most coming through the southern border with Serbia, and many apply for asylum but quickly try to leave for richer EU countries. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

• Turkish soldiers take position on a road near the border with Syria as aconvoy of vehicles with Abdullah Kurdi, the Syrian man who survived a capsizing during a desperate voyage from Turkey to Greece has taken the bodies of his wife and two sons back to the Syrian Kurdish region they fled, to bury them in their hometown of Kobani, Syria, drive in Suruc, Turkey, Friday, Sept. 4, 2015. The haunting image of the man's 3-year-old son, Aylan Kurdi, washed up on Turkish beach focused the world's attention on a wave of war-and-deprivation-fueled migration unmatched since World War II.(AP Photos/Emrah Gurel)Turkish soldiers take position on a road near Suruc on the border with Syria as a convoy of vehicles with Abdullah Kurdi, the Syrian man who survived a capsizing during a desperate voyage from Turkey to Greece takes the bodies of his wife and two sons back to the Syrian Kurdish region they fled, to bury them in their hometown of Kobani, Syria. The haunting image of the man's 3-year-old son, Aylan Kurdi, washed up on Turkish beach focused the world's attention on the wave of migration fueled by war and deprivation. (AP Photos/Emrah Gurel)

• People shout slogans outside a train that was stopped in Bicske, Hungary, Friday, Sept. 4, 2015. Over 150,000 migrants have reached Hungary this year, most coming through the southern border with Serbia. Many apply for asylum but quickly try to leave for richer EU countries. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

• Refugees and migrants enter a bus, transporting them to the metro station, after their arrival from the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos to the Athens' port of Piraeus on Friday, Sept. 4, 2015. About 2,500 people arrived with the ferry Eleftherios Venizelos as Greek Government does not seen an end to the flood of refugees and migrants anytime soon with the vast majority of migrants were reaching five eastern Greek islands: with Lesbos seeing 50 percent of arrivals. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

• Migrants grab for food delivered by volunteers as they wait for registration at the reception center for refugees and asylum seekers in Berlin, Germany, Friday, Sept. 4, 2015. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

• Migrants show train tickets as they sit in front of the Keleti (East) railway station in Budapest on September 2, 2015. Hungarian authorities face mounting anger from thousands of migrants who are unable to board trains to western European countries after the main Budapest station was closed. AFP PHOTO / ATTILA KISBENEDEK (Photo credit should read ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP/Getty Images)

• Migrants sit in front of the Keleti (East) railway station in Budapest on September 2, 2015. Hungarian authorities face mounting anger from thousands of migrants who are unable to board trains to western European countries after the main Budapest station was closed. AFP PHOTO / ATTILA KISBENEDEK (Photo credit should read ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP/Getty Images)

• Young migrant shows a train ticket as he sits in front of the Keleti (East) railway station in Budapest on September 2, 2015. Hungarian authorities face mounting anger from thousands of migrants who are unable to board trains to western European countries after the main Budapest station was closed. AFP PHOTO / ATTILA KISBENEDEK (Photo credit should read ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP/Getty Images)

• Migrant boy holds a sign reading 'SOS help me' as he sits with other migrants in front of the Keleti (East) railway station in Budapest on September 2, 2015. Hungarian authorities face mounting anger from thousands of migrants who are unable to board trains to western European countries after the main Budapest station was closed. AFP PHOTO / ATTILA KISBENEDEK (Photo credit should read ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP/Getty Images)

• BUDAPEST, HUNGARY - SEPTEMBER 02 : Migrants protest outside Keleti station which remains closed to them in central Budapest on September 2, 2015 in Budapest, Hungary. Hundreds of migrants protest in front of Budapest's Keleti Railway Terminus for a second straight day on September 2, 2015 demanding to be let onto trains bound for Germany from a station that has been currently closed to them. (Photo by Arpad Kurucz/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

• BUDAPEST, HUNGARY - SEPTEMBER 02 : Migrants protest outside Keleti station which remains closed to them in central Budapest on September 2, 2015 in Budapest, Hungary. Hundreds of migrants protest in front of Budapest's Keleti Railway Terminus for a second straight day on September 2, 2015 demanding to be let onto trains bound for Germany from a station that has been currently closed to them. (Photo by Arpad Kurucz/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

• BUDAPEST, HUNGARY - SEPTEMBER 03: Migrants board trains in Keleti station after it was reopened this morning in central Budapest on September 3, 2015 in Budapest, Hungary. Although the station has reopened all international trains to Western Europe have been cancelled. According to the Hungarian authorities a record number of migrants from many parts of the Middle East, Africa and Asia are crossing the border from Serbia. Since the beginning of 2015 the number of migrants using the so-called Balkans route has exploded with migrants arriving in Greece from Turkey and then travelling on through Macedonia and Serbia before entering the EU via Hungary. The massive increase, said to be the largest migration of people since World War II, led Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban to order Hungary's army to build a steel and barbed wire security barrier along its entire border with Serbia, after more than 100,000 asylum seekers from a variety of countries and war zones entered the country so far this year. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

• IDOMENI, GREECE - SEPTEMBER 02: A Syrian migrant holds her daughter as they wait to be processed across a border crossing into Macedonia for migrants September 2, 2015 in Idomeni, Greece. Since the beginning of 2015 the number of migrants using the so-called 'Balkans route' has exploded with migrants arriving in Greece from Turkey and then travelling on through Macedonia and Serbia before entering the EU via Hungary. The number of people leaving their homes in war torn countries such as Syria, marks the largest migration of people since World War II. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

• GEVGELIJA, MACEDONIA - SEPTEMBER 2: Migrants wait at the Greek-Macedonian border to cross into Macedonia on September 02, 2015 near Gevgelija. (Photo by Ilin Nikolovski/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

• A local resident offers grapes to an Afghan migrant as they sit at Victoria square, Athens, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015, where many migrants stay temporarily before continuing their trip to more prosperous European countries. The country has borne the brunt of a massive refugee and migration flow of people heading into the European Union, with more than 200,000 people arriving so far this year. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

• Hungarian policemen guard an entrance to the Keleti Railway Station in Budapest, Hungary, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015, as hundreds of migrants demanded to be let on trains to Germany. Over 150,000 migrants have reached Hungary this year, most coming through the southern border with Serbia. Many apply for asylum but quickly try to leave for richer EU countries. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

• In this Sept. 1, 2015 (18.37gmt/21.37 local) photo Syrian migrants disembark from the catamaran Terra Jet at the Athens' port of Piraeus. About 1,800 refugees arrived from the northeastern Aegean island of Lesbos as the country has been overwhelmed by record numbers of migrants this year. The vast majority of the people are from Syria and Afghanistan reaching from the nearby Turkish coasts and try to cross Balkans and continue to more prosperous European countries. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

• In this Tuesday Sept. 1, 2015 (2:14gmt) photo Syrian refugee Abed Hadi,19, feeds his nephew as he sits with other migrants at the railway tracks waiting to cross the borders from Idomeni town, northern Greece to southern Macedonia. Greece has been overwhelmed by record numbers of migrants this year. Nearly all head to Greece's northern border with Macedonia, cross into Serbia and Hungary and go toward more prosperous European countries. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos)

• In this Tuesday, Sept 1. 2015, photo, Red Crescent workers, some wearing protective suits, collect the body of a drowned migrant, who washed up along with several others in Zuwara, Libya (65 miles west of Tripoli) after two smuggling boats sank off the coast of Libya last Thursday. More than 2,000 migrants have drowned this year, including 200 last week, chiefly when trying to reach Italy's southernmost islands from Libya. (AP Photo/Mohamed Ben Khalifa)

• Migrants hold up their train tickets outside the Keleti Railway Station in Budapest, Hungary, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015. The station continues to be closed to migrants, other passengers are allowed to enter and trains operate according to schedule. (Zoltan Balogh/MTI via AP)

• Migrants are helped to board on the Norwegian Siem Pilot ship during a rescue operation off the Libyan Coasts, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2015. Four dead bodies and hundreds of migrants were transferred on the Norwegian Siem Pilot ship from an Italian Navy ship and a Doctor Without Borders vessels after being rescued in different operations in the mediterranean sea. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

• A young man sleeps in a window as migrants rest near the Keleti Railway Station in Budapest, Hungary, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015, after police stopped them from getting on trains to Germany. Over 150,000 migrants have reached Hungary this year, most coming through the southern border with Serbia. Many apply for asylum but quickly try to leave for richer EU countries. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

• Migrants charge their mobile phones outside the Keleti Railway Station in Budapest, Hungary, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015. The station continues to be closed to migrants, other passengers are allowed to enter and trains operate according to schedule. (Zoltan Balogh/MTI via AP)

• Migrants shout slogans in front of the Keleti Railway Station in Budapest, Hungary, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015, as hundreds demanded to be let on trains to Germany. Over 150,000 migrants have reached Hungary this year, most coming through the southern border with Serbia. Many apply for asylum but quickly try to leave for richer EU countries. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

• Migrants hold up their train tickets outside the Keleti Railway Station in Budapest, Hungary, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015. The station continues to be closed to migrants, other passengers are allowed to enter and trains operate according to schedule. (Zoltan Balogh/MTI via AP)

• GEVGELIJA, MACEDONIA - SEPTEMBER 2: Migrants wait at the Greek-Macedonian border to cross into Macedonia on September 02, 2015 near Gevgelija. (Photo by Ilin Nikolovski/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

• GEVGELIJA, MACEDONIA - SEPTEMBER 2: Migrants cross the Greek-Macedonian border near Gevgelija, Macedonia on September 02, 2015. (Photo by Ilin Nikolovski/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

• GEVGELIJA, MACEDONIA - SEPTEMBER 2: Migrants cross the Greek-Macedonian border near Gevgelija, Macedonia on September 02, 2015. (Photo by Ilin Nikolovski/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

• BUDAPEST, HUNGARY - SEPTEMBER 02: A young Syrian girl holds up a sign as migrants protest outside Keleti station which remains closed to them in central Budapest on September 2, 2015 in Budapest, Hungary. The station was closed yesterday in what was said to be an attempt by the Hungarian government to uphold EU law and restore order after recent choatic scenes at the station as migrants attempted to board trains to other parts of Europe. According to the Hungarian authorities a record number of migrants from many parts of the Middle East, Africa and Asia are crossing the border from Serbia. Since the beginning of 2015 the number of migrants using the so-called Balkans route has exploded with migrants arriving in Greece from Turkey and then travelling on through Macedonia and Serbia before entering the EU via Hungary. The massive increase, said to be the largest migration of people since World War II, led Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban to order Hungary's army to build a steel and barbed wire security barrier along its entire border with Serbia, after more than 100,000 asylum seekers from a variety of countries and war zones entered the country so far this year. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

• BUDAPEST, HUNGARY - SEPTEMBER 02: Migrants protest outside Keleti station which remains closed to them in central Budapest on September 2, 2015 in Budapest, Hungary. The station was closed yesterday in what was said to be an attempt by the Hungarian government to uphold EU law and restore order after recent choatic scenes at the station as migrants attempted to board trains to other parts of Europe. According to the Hungarian authorities a record number of migrants from many parts of the Middle East, Africa and Asia are crossing the border from Serbia. Since the beginning of 2015 the number of migrants using the so-called Balkans route has exploded with migrants arriving in Greece from Turkey and then travelling on through Macedonia and Serbia before entering the EU via Hungary. The massive increase, said to be the largest migration of people since World War II, led Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban to order Hungary's army to build a steel and barbed wire security barrier along its entire border with Serbia, after more than 100,000 asylum seekers from a variety of countries and war zones entered the country so far this year. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

• Migrants are helped to board on the Norwegian Siem Pilot ship during a migrant search and rescue mission off the Libyan Coasts, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2015. Four dead bodies and hundreds of migrants were transferred on the Norwegian Siem Pilot ship from an Italian Navy ship and a Doctor Without Borders vessel after being rescued in different operations in the Mediterranean sea. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

• Migrants crowd the main deck of the Norwegian Siem Pilot ship after being rescued off the Libyan Coasts, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2015. Four dead bodies and hundreds of migrants were transferred on the Norwegian Siem Pilot ship from an Italian Navy ship and a Doctor Without Borders vessels after being rescued in different operation in the Mediterranean sea. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

• Migrants are helped to board on the Norwegian Siem Pilot ship during a migrant search and rescue mission off the Libyan Coasts, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2015. Four dead bodies and hundreds of migrants were transferred on the Norwegian Siem Pilot ship from an Italian Navy ship and a Doctor Without Borders vessels after being rescued in different operation in the mediterranean sea. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

• Women from a group of Syrian migrants who refused to board a train to the Debrecen refugee camp gesture as police officers block them on the platform of the Kobanya-Kispest station, Budapest suburb, on September 2, 2015. Hungarian authorities face mounting anger from thousands of migrants who are unable to board trains to western European countries after the main Budapest station was closed. AFP PHOTO / ATTILA KISBENEDEK (Photo credit should read ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP/Getty Images)