Guardian reporter thrown out from Budapest CPAC in the middle of an interview

Flóra Garamvölgyi, the Hungarian reporter of The Guardian, was thrown out from the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) conference in Budapest in the middle of an interview with a former Republican senator and presidential candidate. Security talked about higher order and registration system errors.

According to telex.hu, the organisers of CPAC Hungary rejected the registration of journalists from multiple Hungarian and foreign news outlets. But Ms Garamvölgyi could register and received a confirmation. Later she got an email saying there was not enough places to receive her. However, she was at the airport by then, so she came and tried to get in. She successfully did so and worked freely at the event on Thursday.

However, on Friday afternoon (when the conference was nearing its end), when she interviewed former Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum, an organiser dragged her away. Then three security people escorted her to the registration desk, where organisers told her it was a system error she could enter. Therefore, she had to leave the event.

CPAC – Panel discussion focuses on migration, challenges

A roundtable discussion focusing on challenges posed by migration was held with the participation of European and American experts at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Budapest on Friday. Hosting the discussion, Erno Schaller-Baross, an MEP of ruling Fidesz, noted the Hungarian government’s firm position maintained since 2015 that the borders of Hungary and Europe must be protected and steps must be taken in the migrants’ countries of origin and transit. He said that Hungary had faced constant “attacks” from Europe over the fence along its southern border, and Brussels had only reimbursed only some 2 percent of its border protection costs.

Chris Farrell, of the American conservative activist group Judicial Watch, noted heavy migration into the United States. During his presidency, Donald Trump concluded an agreement with Mexican authorities, enabling migrants to submit asylum applications to the US while they’re still in Mexico, he said. The Biden administration put an end to that measure. By now, some 7,700 people are intercepted on the border daily, and some 15,000 cross the border, he said.

Daniele Scalea, leader of the think-tank Machiavelli Institute, called for EU treaties to be revised, as they put the rights of migrants ahead of national interests. He proposed jointly adopted, effective and tight controls at the EU’s external borders to alleviate the pressure on Italy. Hans-Georg Maassen, former head of the German federal office for the protection of the constitution, said political will to stop illegal migration was lacking in Europe, which gave space to the abuse of asylum rights. He accused leftist and green politicians of being wary of taking action, fearing a loss of votes in the 2024 European parliamentary elections.