Viktor Orbán added that countries where Europeans and non-Europeans mix “are no longer nations”. He has made similar claims during his years as a minister, but this time the far-right tone sounded extra loud.
Katalin Cseh, MP from the opposition Momentum Movement party and member of the European Parliament, said in a statement that she was appalled by the Prime Minister’s speech. “His statements are reminiscent of a time that I think we would all like to forget. They really show the true colors of the regime,” she said. In a post on Twitter addressed to Hungarians of different origins, she writes “Our skin color may be different, you may come from Europe or outside, but you are one of us and we are proud of you. Diversity strengthens the country, it does not weaken it.”
Romanian parliamentarian Alin Mituța also reacts strongly to Orbán’s comments. “Talking about racial or ethnic ‘purity’, especially in such a mixed region as Central and Eastern Europe, is completely deranged and dangerous. And so is Mr. Orban,” he writes on Twitter.
It is not the first time that Viktor Orbán has made extreme right-wing statements during his traditional speech in Romania. In 2014, he stated for the first time that he wanted to build an “illiberal democracy” in Hungary.