Hungary is new hot spot on migrant route into EU - Part 2

Hungary: Lawmakers reject anti-migrant constitutional change
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) November 08, 2016 — Hungary's prime minister failed Tuesday in his attempt to push through constitutional amendments opposing any future plan by the European Union to resettle asylum seekers among members of the bloc.
Lawmakers voted 131-3 in favor of Prime Minister Viktor Orban's proposal, but the governing Fidesz party failed to secure any opposition support and fell two votes short of the two-thirds majority of all 199 deputies necessary.
The failure to pass the five amendments, including one stating that a "foreign population cannot be settled into Hungary," was Orban's second major setback after an Oct. 2 referendum — in which over 98 percent of voters supported the government's anti-migrant position — was declared invalid due to low voter turnout.
https://www.mail.com/int/news/europe/4738636-hungary-lawmakers-reject-anti-migrant-constitution.html#.1258-stage-hero1-1

This doesn't surprise me in the least, given the low vote in the referendum, which was declared 'an invalid result'.    LL

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-37903194

But how does that work, LL, when the vote to join the EU had a similar low turnout?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_European_Union_membership_referendum,_2003



A referendum on joining the European Union was held in Hungary on 12 April 2003.[1] The proposal was approved by 83.8% of voters, with a voter turnout of 45.6%.[2] Hungary subsequently joined the EU on 1 May 2004.

Oh, I see, they changed the rules for the EU:

The National Assembly of Hungary changed the rules on referendums in Hungary in 1997, the previous requirement that turnout be over 50% was removed and instead the requirement became that over 25% of registered voters had to support a referendum. In December 2002 the Constitution of Hungary was amended to enable a referendum on EU membership to take place. As part of the amendment it was agreed that the referendum would take place on 12 April 2003.[4]

IMO, these shenanigans - not just in Hungary, I hasten to add, others are far worse - are starting to make a nonsense of the whole idea of 'democracy'.

The referendum I was referring to is that held in October requiring a 50% turnout to be valid; only just over 40% of the eligible to vote population did so and the courts then stated the referendum was invalid. Orban however declared it valid which is why this failure to get the amendments through is quite a big setback for him and his ruling party. LL

https://www.ft.com/content/3e6b6450-c1f7-11e6-9bca-2b93a6856354

EU border force accuses charities of collusion with migrant smugglers
Frontex charges open up long-simmering dispute with NGOs over how to solve the crisis

The EU’s border agency has accused charities operating in the Mediterranean of colluding with people smugglers, according to confidential reports seen by the Financial Times....full story at link.

More than likely. Any organisations that are 'NGOs' and have 'activists' are generally fronts for Soros and his chums.

http://www.dw.com/en/bavarian-government-to-release-new-refugee-policy-so-germany-remains-germany/a-37044492

Bavarian government to release new refugee policy so 'Germany remains Germany'
Amid an ongoing dispute with Berlin, Bavaria's government is due to finalize its proposal for Germany's refugee policy. As well as a yearly cap on refugee arrivals, Premier Horst Seehofer is calling for tighter borders.

The ever-growing divide between Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), showed no sign of resolving itself on Saturday, with Munich's local newspaper the "Münchner Merkur" reporting that the Bavarian government is due on Tuesday to finalize its overall concept on refugee and immigration policy in Germany.
The charter titled "So that Germany remains Germany" was reportedly written by CSU leader and Bavarian Premier Horst Seehofer.
At the top of the agenda is the CSU's long-time demand for an upper-limit on the number of asylum seekers accepted in Germany - something Bavaria aims to achieve through EU quotas.
For months, the CSU has called a yearly cap of no more than 200,000 refugees, a move that Merkel has repeatedly rejected. The debate has prompted an unwelcome divide in the so-called "Union" of conservative CDU and CSU - particularly in the year of Germany's federal election.

Watch video02:10
CSU stands by demand for refugee cap (04.01.2017)
Unrest among conservatives

The CSU, which often takes more conservative stances than the CDU, has sharply criticized Merkel's open-door policies that allowed more than a million people to enter the country as refugees and migrants since 2015. Last month Seehofer even ruled out governing with Merkel's CDU should they refuse to introduce an upper limit on the number of migrants entering Germany.
In an apparent attempt to calm the rumbling debate, Merkel's CDU proposed on Friday the idea of flexible annual targets for asylum seeker numbers. The Christian Democrats gave no precise numbers but called for Germany to set a new target each year based on the humanitarian situation in global crisis zones and Germany's ability to absorb newcomers.
Alongside its refugee cap, the Bavarian state government is also proposing further restrictions on family reunions for refugees, possibly calling for asylum-seekers to secure a livelihood independent of state subsidies before being permitted to apply for family members to join them in Germany.
The basic protection for migrants in old age should also be restricted if they have not spent the most important period of working life in Germany, the Bavarian government wrote, adding that asylum-seekers who commit a criminal offense in Germany also "forfeit their right to hospitality" and must be deported...etc

George Soros has been interfering in Hungary’s politics for years. Now, they’re fed up.
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/hungary-continues-to-view-soros-as-a-threat-works-toward-limiting-his-influ
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UK trade deals could put EU in ‘very unfavorable position,’ Hungary warns.
Budapest’s foreign minister concerned about Britain’s ability to strike deals outside of the EU.
http://www.politico.eu/article/hungarian-fm-u-k-bilateral-deals-could-put-eu-in-a-very-unfavourable-position/
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The All Hungary Media Group January 16th, 2017
Pro-gov’t think-tank unsurprisingly finds George Soros “unpopular” in Hungary

The thickly government-funded Századvég Foundation has found in a survey that the “partisan, interfering politics” represented by Hungarian-born American financier George Soros and the organisations he is funding are “highly unpopular” in Hungary. The December 10-15 survey with a sample of 1,000 people found that 61% of respondents had a negative opinion of Soros while 14% had a favourable view. The survey highlights a strong correlation between political views and the opinions attributed to Soros: he is unpopular with 81% of those professing right-wing sympathies and 55% of those with centrist political preferences, Századvég insists.. Fully 41% of left-wing voters have a positive opinion of him according to the think-tank.

A “vast majority of Hungarians”, 88% of respondents, rejects “soft-power politics”, where “political or economic entities influence the government or the policies of a country through non-governmental organisations”, Századvég claimed to found. This opinion is “unanimous among Hungarian citizens of all political persuasions”. Also, a majority views political soft power, when “funded from abroad”, as an “infringement of the country’s sovereignty”, the survey found.

So, more people who want to see Soros out of their country and in a jail cell?

Hungary to put asylum-seekers in border container camp

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) February 09, 2017 — Hungary plans to hold migrants in border camps made up of shipping containers while their asylum requests are settled, a top official said Thursday. Janos Lazar, Prime Minister Viktor Orban's chief of staff, also said once new rules are in place, any migrants detained anywhere in Hungary without documents allowing them to be in the country will be returned across the border.

"We need a legal system that protects us. This is a very serious change," Lazar said. "We expect debates with the European Commission and other organizations." Human rights advocates noted that Hungary was already holding large numbers of asylum-seekers in closed camps and that the massive, indiscriminate detention of all asylum-seekers "has not been seen in decades in democratic Europe."

The Hungarian Helsinki Committee also vowed to sue Hungary at the European Court of Justice in every case where asylum-seekers are illegally kept in custody, which would likely force the country to make compensation payments.

"The government would do better instead to improve the quality of the open reception centers and spend this money on the integration of people who have found asylum in Hungary," the group said. Presently, asylum-seekers whose claims are under appeal are placed mostly in open camps and some leave for Western Europe before their cases are decided. Migrants detained within 8 kilometers (5 miles) of the border are sent back across the fences Hungary has built on its southern borders with Serbia and Croatia.

Lazar said the measures will be enacted only when, like at the present time, the government declares a state of emergency because of mass immigration. "It is clear that the security situation in Europe has deteriorated, not improved," Lazar told reporters after a government meeting. "Turkey is presently defending the borders of Europe. We would like to strengthen the Hungarian border."

Lazar reiterated that Hungary was ready to build a second, stronger fence if needed, on its southern borders. Lazar also said the government would increase aid to charity groups working along the border.

Hungary is also is building four small military bases along the fence to provide accommodations for some of the 3,000 soldiers on border duty along with police. The barracks are being built out of shipping containers and each base will have room for 150 people.

It is difficult to get asylum in Hungary. The country granted asylum or some form of protection to 425 people in 2016, while receiving 29,432 applications.

Good for Hungary.

Look what Hungary is missing.....

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/1528756/hundreds-of-syrians-in-uk-arrested-over-string-of-offences-including-rape-and-child-abuse/

SYRIA CRIME WAVE Hundreds of Syrians in UK arrested over string of offences including rape and child abuse
POLICE forces have released shocking figures for England and Wales
EXCLUSIVE
BY MICHAEL HAMILTON  31st July 2016, 12:39 am
Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
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COMMENTS
HUNDREDS of Syrians in Britain were arrested last year for a string of offences including rape, death threats and child abuse.

Police forces have revealed the figures which show 897 were held in England and Wales.

Our revelation comes after Northumbria Police were last month accused of a cover-up over an alleged attack by Syrians on two teenage girls in Newcastle.

One of the suspects was being followed by the BBC for a report on how his family had settled in the UK.

In Northumbria, the force admitted that last year – the latest available figures – they arrested a total of 16 Syrians.

This tally of arrests included two alleged sex offences, six claims of violence assaults and three of public disorder.

In London, 238 arrested included two for rape, three for death threats and seven for sex offences.

And Nottinghamshire cops nicked one for sexual activity with an underage girl.

There have been concerns that refugees allowed to settle in the UK can find it difficult to assimilate into the country.

The issue has been highlighted in Europe, where Germany has been rocked by attacks including the machete murder of a woman and a suicide bombing outside a restaurant carried out by Syrian refugees.

In England and Wales the majority of offences that Syrians were arrested for were immigration violations, but there were other serious crimes.


'Difficult to assimilate'? Unlike previous immigrants, this lot have NO intention of 'assimilating', IMO. And therein lies the whole problem, not helped by stupid progressives and their refusal to accept reality.

Shame on the politicians who are allowing this to happen.

Hungary's Orban renews attack on influence of George Soros

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) February 10, 2017 — Hungary's populist prime minister on Friday lashed out against billionaire financier George Soros, claiming he and groups backed by him want to secretly influence the country's politics.

In his annual state of the nation speech, Viktor Orban said groups partly funded by Soros, who was born in Hungary, needed to be made transparent and identifiable. "Large-bodied predators are swimming here in the waters. This is the trans-border empire of George Soros, with tons of money and international heavy artillery," said Orban, who received a Soros-funded scholarship as Hungary was transitioning from communism to democracy in the late 1980s.

"It is causing trouble ... that they are trying secretly and with foreign money to influence Hungarian politics," Orban said. He did not cite evidence backing his claims, and did not identify the groups he mentioned. Government officials had earlier taken aim at corruption watchdog Transparency International and rights groups like the Hungarian Helsinki Committee and the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union.

In 2014, Orban ordered a crackdown on civic groups supported in part by Norway, but extensive investigations and audits did not uncover any financial irregularities of note. In an email to The Associated Press, a Soros representative said they were "proud to support Hungarians who insist on having a voice in their democracy."

"The Open Society Foundations for over 30 years have supported civil society groups in Hungary who are addressing profound problems in education, health care, media freedom and corruption," said Laura Silber, the organization's chief communications officer. "Any attacks on this work and those groups are solely an attempt to deflect attention from government inability to address these issues."

Orban also claimed that Soros' organizations were still working on bringing hundreds of thousands of migrants into Europe, contrary to the wishes of Hungarians and their government. Orban has been outspoken about his strong opposition to taking in refugees and migrants, and in 2015 ordered fences built on Hungary's southern borders with Serbia and Croatia to stop the migrant flow.

On Friday, he reiterated a government plan to keep migrants in border camps built from shipping containers while their asylum applications are being processed. The proposal drew strong criticism from local and international rights groups, which said it was clearly against EU law and the United Nations Refugee Convention.

Amnesty International said the plan was "yet another disturbing move in a pattern of demonizing" refugees. "Rounding up all men, women and children seeking asylum and detaining them months on end in container camps is a new low in Hungary's race to the bottom on asylum seekers and refugees," said Gauri van Gulik, Amnesty International's deputy director for Europe.

Orban also painted a bleak picture of Western Europe, saying its "future is casting a long and dark shadow on its present." He joked that Hungary was ready to take in Western Europeans, whom he said are suffering from globalization's effects.

"Naturally, we will take in the real refugees," Orban said to laughter and loud applause. "The panicked German, Dutch, French and Italian politicians and journalists, Christians forced to leave their countries who want to find here the Europe they lost at home."

Orban, who returned to power in 2010, will seek another four-year term in April 2018.

Orban, who received a Soros-funded scholarship as Hungary was transitioning from communism to democracy in the late 1980s.

This was before Soros started his 'world domination bid'. LL

I am delighted to see Soros finally being called out in public, LL, for far too long, he managed to fly beneath the radar, and most people didn't realise the extent of his evil.

He has his sons in waiting too.

Hungary: Suspended reporters help magazine sold by homeless.

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) October 20, 2016 — Journalists from an opposition newspaper in Hungary that was suspended earlier this month helped sell a magazine sold by the homeless on Thursday, saying they did so partly because of its symbolic relationship with their own uncertain situation.

Reporters and editors from Nepszabadsag, whose suspension earlier this month raised concerns about media pluralism in Hungary, wrote articles for "Without A Roof" and helped homeless people sell the biweekly — as well as talk with buyers about Hungarian media matters.

"The newsroom has become practically homeless since we moved out of one office and were not let into another one," said Nepszabadsag reporter Csilla Urban, as she sold the magazine at Budapest's Florian Square.

Publishing company Mediaworks announced on Oct. 8 that it was temporarily shutting down Nepszabadsag because of considerable losses. Talks between management and journalists about the future of the publication have been inconclusive.

The nearly 60-year-old paper's sudden disappearance, including blocked access to its valuable online archives, came days after its reporters uncovered several scandals involving suspicions of corruption by government ministers and the head of the National Bank of Hungary, a close ally of Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Orban's Fidesz party said Nepszabadsag's closure was purely a financial decision by its owners. Dominated by left-leaning publications for years after the 1990 end of communism, Hungary's media landscape has changed considerably since Orban's return to power in 2010. Many publications as well as radio and television stations have come under the control of Orban's inner circle and show an unquestioning pro-government bent.

"The disappearance of Nepszabadsag from the Hungarian media market marks a big turning point in the media war that's happening in Hungary in the last several years," said Amy Brouilette, a research fellow at the Central European University's Center for Media, Data and Society. "It's the largest left-wing daily so it leaves a gap in the opposition point of opinion."

"For Fidesz, the media is the centerpiece of the party's political strategy," Brouilette added. "It has put a great emphasis on controlling public opinion through controlling media."

Hungary blasted for rule detaining refugees in containers

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) March 07, 2017 — Hungary adopted tough new rules on Tuesday allowing authorities to detain all asylum-seekers, including women and children fleeing war and poverty, in border camps built from shipping containers. Human rights groups said the decision was a "flagrant violation of international law."

In the eyes of Hungary's combative prime minister, Viktor Orban, an early supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump, migrants are a "Trojan horse of terrorism," putting his country under siege. He considers the migrants, many of whom are Muslims, as a threat to Europe's Christian identity and culture.

According to rules adopted Tuesday by lawmakers from his governing Fidesz party and the far-right Jobbik party, all asylum-seekers will be detained at camps built from shipping containers on the border with Serbia until a final decision is made on their asylum requests. Hungary intends to close all other refugee reception centers around the country.

Police will also be allowed to expel to the Serbian side of the border fence any migrants who cannot prove their legal right to be in Hungary. Since July 5, only migrants found within 8 kilometers (5 miles) of the border could be sent back to Serbia.  Full story at link.

https://www.mail.com/int/news/world/5015692-hungary-blasted-rule-detaining-refugees-containers.html#.1258-stage-hero1-4

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