- Title: EUROPE-MIGRANTS/HUNGARY-ORBAN Hungarian PM praises police dealings with migrants
- Date: 11th September 2015
- Summary: BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (SEPTEMBER 11, 2015) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF EXTERIOR OF HUNGARIAN PARLIAMENT HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER, VIKTOR ORBAN, WALKING UP TO MICROPHONE FOR NEWS BRIEFING CAMERAMAN FILMING (SOUNDBITE) (Hungarian) HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER, VIKTOR ORBAN, SAYING: "I would like to thank the Hungarian police because in recent days there has been a de facto rebellion among illegal migrants. They occupied a railway station, they refused to be fingerprinted, they did not cooperate and they refused to enter facilities where they could receive care, such as food, water, shelter or medical treatment. They have rebelled against Hungarian law." CREST ON WALL (SOUNDBITE) (Hungarian) HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER, VIKTOR ORBAN, SAYING: "We are talking about people who refuse to cooperate with the Hungarian authorities. Moreover, they attack them and throw objects at them. Considering that we are faced with a rebellion by illegal migrants, police have done an excellent job without resorting to the use of force." AIDES LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (Hungarian) HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER, VIKTOR ORBAN, SAYING: "From September 15, Hungarian authorities will not be forgiving when it comes to illegal border crossings. We have been running an information campaign across Serbia for a week in which we have informed those coming with the intent of illegally crossing the border not to do so, because the rules in Hungary have changed." ORBAN LEAVING
- Embargoed: 26th September 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Hungary
- Country: Hungary
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVABXT2GSNA0ZR2YZMEDP47F7EJI
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban praised the Hungarian police on Friday (September 11) for the way they had dealt with a wave of migrants who he said had rebelled against authorities.
"I would like to thank the Hungarian police because in recent days there has been a de facto rebellion among illegal migrants. They occupied a railway station, they refused to be fingerprinted, they did not cooperate and they refused to enter facilities where they could receive care, such as food, water, shelter or medical treatment. They have rebelled against Hungarian law," he said.
Hungary, a key transit country for migrants and refugees trying to reach richer and more generous European Union countries such as Germany and Sweden, is racing to construct a fence along its border with Serbia by early October to stem the flow.
More than 170,000 migrants have crossed into Hungary from Serbia so far this year.
Most try to avoid being registered in Hungary for fear of being stranded there or returned there later on, encouraged by a temporary agreement by Germany and Austria to accept refugees.
"We are talking about people who refuse to cooperate with the Hungarian authorities. Moreover, they attack them and throw objects at them. Considering that we are faced with a rebellion by illegal migrants, police have done an excellent job without resorting to the use of force," said Orban.
He warned that police would take tougher action from next week, when new immigration laws come into effect.
"From September 15, Hungarian authorities will not be forgiving when it comes to illegal border crossings. We have been running an information campaign across Serbia for a week in which we have informed those coming with the intent of illegally crossing the border not to do so, because the rules in Hungary have changed," he said.
He also urged the EU to help Greece, the first EU landing point for the migrants, many of them refugees from conflicts in Syria, Iraq or Afghanistan who head on through Macedonia and Serbia to Hungary.
Hungary has accused Greece of shirking its responsibility under EU rules, as the first entry point into the bloc, to register and process asylum requests by migrants arriving by boat from Turkey. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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