Socialists, DK, LMP demand government help refugees

Budapest, September 2 (MTI) – The opposition Socialists demand that the government help refugees and take over their care from civil organisations. The Democratic Coalition (DK) meanwhile said the Budapest mayor is also responsible for the conditions offered to refugees in Budapest.

It is unacceptable that civil organisations are having to supply food and other aid to migrants instead of the state, Csaba Horvath, the Socialist representative in the Budapest municipal council general assembly, told a press conference ahead of Wednesday’s assembly meeting.

The government is failing to make every effort to prevent problems connected to migration to locals, Horvath said. Transit zones for migrants should be set up near the borders, he added.

It is possible the recent deaths of 71 migrants in a van could have been avoided if the European Union and its authorities had a more resolute and united stance on the matter, he said.

The opposition DK said Mayor Istvan Tarlos also has responsibility for offering decent conditions to refugees staying in Budapest. Party representative Erzsebet Gy Nemeth told a press conference ahead of the general assembly meeting that the refugee situation is becoming unmanageable as a result of the “idleness” of city council leaders, and the government’s “incompetence and incitement of hysteria”.

The green LMP party said the migrants should be treated in a Christian way. Antal Csardi, the opposition party’s Budapest representative, told a news conference that Tarlos and Prime Minister Viktor Orban should significantly raise the staff and resources of the immigration authority since a lack of staff is one reason for the backlog of refugee application procedures.

Photo: MTI

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters