Defence Minister: Use of arms in dispersing crowds not allowed under legal amendment

Budapest, September 1 (MTI) – The planned amendment of the law on national defence will not allow the use of arms to disperse unarmed crowds, Defence Minister Csaba Hende said on Tuesday at a joint meeting of parliament’s national security, defence and law enforcement committees focusing on migration.

Soldiers of the Hungarian army will participate in controls of Hungary’s southern borders if the situation makes this necessary and the government and parliament approve it, Hende said.

He cited tasks, such as logistics, sanitation, military policing and joint patrols where the army would get involved. Unmanned aerial reconnaissance units could be mobilised, soldiers could help with the registration of migrants, control the air space, carry out humanitarian tasks and provide interpreters if necessary, he added.

In addition to those involved in building the technical border closure, the Hungarian army could contribute 3,000-3,500 soldiers to controlling Hungary’s southern borders, Hende said.

Government office chief Janos Lazar told the meeting that Europe and Hungary must prepare for millions of more people seeking to travel to the continent and this necessitates measures in the long term.

Europe now needs to face a steady wave of mass migration as a result of the situation in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Balkans, Lazar said.

He said the EU has failed in tackling the migration situation and has been unable to protect its own borders.

Photo: MTI

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