PM Orbán: Budapest bridge shutdowns will be baulked, we must support Trump for peace in Ukraine
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Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in an interview to public radio on Friday that the government was submitting a bill to parliament on taking into account the rights of citizens not engaged in demonstrations. “The right to assembly is important,” Orbán said. “It is good that everyone can voice their opinions, even in a forceful manner. But trapping thousands or even tens of thousands of people in traffic jams in Budapest and stopping them from in doing their jobs just because a few hundred people decide to shut down bridges and roads is not normal,” he said.
No more bridge shutdowns
“I thought the laws were clear that the right of assembly could not be exercised to impede traffic disproportionately, but a court order has allowed the closing of bridges,” he said. The prime minister noted that judges apply the laws enacted by parliament but parliament cannot instruct the courts, which are independent. But, he added, laws can be changed rendering it impossible for several bridges in Budapest to be shut down simultaneously owing to judicial decisions.
- Another right of assembly protest in Hungary, shouting “Fascist Orbán, get out!” – VIDEO and more HERE
Momentum MPs and activits tried to hinder Orbán’s interview, but the police took them away from the entrance of the MTVA.
Anti-Semitism zero toleance
Anti-Semitism is encouraged and tolerated in Western Europe owing to support for migration, while in Hungary “we have zero tolerance” for anti-Semitism, Orbán said anti-Semitism was on the rise in Western Europe every day, so people of Jewish origin were “moving away” from those places affected.
Anti-Semitism grew whenever migration increased, he said, adding that European leaders, mostly in Brussels, did not want to stop migration. So anti-Semitism was on the rise in Western Europe, whether by design or otherwise, he added. The prime minister said a country that maintained zero tolerance for anti-Semitism was an exception in Europe today, while in the West “they encourage it, tolerate it, accept it, live with it; but we don’t,” he added.
Hungary, Orbán added, had a vested interest in Israel’s stability. If there is war, uncertainty and instability in the Middle East, “we will be the victims”, he said. More than a hundred thousand people of Hungarian origin live in Israel, “and Hungary is responsible for every single one of its citizens,” Orban said. The Hungarian state “must protect all its citizens, regardless of their origins. The current government is doing just that,” he added.
Jewish community
Hungary has a significant Jewish community “that sees Israel as their second homeland, and they are not indifferent to the relations between Hungary and Israel. They see it as a matter of security, even of pride, that the two countries have good relations,” Orban said.
Meanwhile, Hungary also has an economic interest in cooperating with Israel, as thousands in Hungary are working with Israeli companies, especially in value-added tech enterprises, he said. In military cooperation, Hungary buys cutting-edge equipment from Israel, while tourism was also significant, he added, “because Israelis feel safe in Hungary”.
Netanyahu’s arrest
Meanwhile, Orbán said Hungary neither wanted to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor had the legal means to do so. Explaining the decision not to comply with the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant, Orbán said: “It is not customary to arrest guests in this country.”
- Netanyahu in Budapest: half of the city will be paralysed in the following days
At the same time, Hungary had no will to arrest Netanyahu because “Israel is a friend”, Orbán said. “The point of foreign policy is for a country to make friends, and it is good if Israel is a friend and not an enemy of Hungary,” he added. Orbán added that arresting the Israeli prime minister was not even legally possible because the international treaty in question had not been integrated into Hungary’s legal system. “The prime minister is 1,000 percent safe in Hungary,” Orbán added.
ICC withdrawal
Regarding the decision to withdraw Hungary from the International Criminal Court, Orban said the international political arena had undergone significant changes, and a majority of international institutions “have increasingly become part of a global power system and turned against the independence of sovereign nation states”.
Those institutions overreached their powers, making politically motivated decisions, he said. “Several international institutions became political bodies, and the International Criminal Court is one of them; it is now a political court.”
Countries such as the US, Russia, China and Turkiye never became party to the agreement establishing the ICC, he said. “We can’t say the entire world was jostling to become a member of this institution.” When Hungary signed the agreement, “it was linked to the idea of Hungary finding its place in the international space after communism,” similarly to its drive to become a member of the EU and NATO, he said.
Hungary was half-hearted when joined ICC
“Hungary has always been half-hearted on the matter, because it did not integrate the international agreement into Hungarian law … it did not take all the steps to ensure that the agreement was enforceable in Hungary.”
Economic goals
Regarding this year’s plans, Orbán said the government had five economic and five political goals. The economic plans include “breaking down prices, an action plan on the largest tax cut in Europe, the 100 factories programme, the Demjan Sandor Programme supporting SMEs, and a scheme to return VAT on foodstuffs to pensioners,” he said.
He said the government’s main economicaly related programmes were the referendum on Ukraine’s EU membership, abolishing foreign political donations, bolstering child protection, en economic development scheme targeting villages and small towns and a crackdown on drugs.
“These ten things are certain to happen this year because the government is working to make sure it does,” Orbán said, adding that he had taken personal responsibility for these measures. Under the government’s economic plan, he said, the economy is seen growing by 0.7-0.8 percent in the first quarter, 1.5 percent by the end of the second quarter, 3 percent by the end of Q3, reaching 3.5 percent for the full year.
But trapping thousands or even tens of thousands of people in traffic jams in Budapest and stopping them from in doing their jobs just because a few hundred people decide to shut down bridges and roads is not normal,”
reallllllyyyyy? omg just keep voting fidezs. you will not have to worry in you dont even have a job in the future!
The right to protest and the right to assembly must be protected but do not confuse that with any right to cause excessive public or economic disruption. I want Orban out but I don’t deny his right to prevent a paralysis of the city by protestors repeatedly cutting off bridges on a weekday. Protestors also need to be aware that repeatedly doing this may cost them popular sympathy. If you are going to do weekly protests do them on a Sunday.
the problem, and in my opinion, is that Hungarians do not know how to protest. I dont like France, but if they do something respectable, is to protest. Hungary is not doing well economically, but soon the country could go bankrupted and there will be just chaos.
Orderly – in SOLIDARITY without Public “paralyse” – must be the Rightful procedure, using the RIGHT to protest given granted – under DEMOCRACY.
GETTING the poignant message out , the reason(s) and HUNGARIANS we have “Bucket” loads of reason(s) to protest – to CHALLENGE & OPPOSE the deepening destructible path, deepening and endangering the FUTURE of Hungary, this Orban – Fidesz Government “forge” on – taking us.
Gandi – his famous Salt March oe 1930 – that he DEMANDED be conducted under the STEADFASTNESS – it be “non-violent resistance”.
In our CIVAL resistance – all that has been TAKEN from Hungarians by the Orban led Fidesz Government, our country in a DEEPENING black hole, to achieve our ULTIMATE goal – bringing into effect the DOWNFALL of the “heinous” treasonous – being the European, the European Union – all countrys Governed Globally under DEMOCRACY – the “Judas” of DEMOCRACY this Orban led Fidesz Government.
We must refrain resist from violence, giving cause to be thought aggressive and the threat of violence.
In Solidarity our OBJECTIVE must be ORDERLY, to get our message out, the NEED of CHANGE to improve, give HOPE for the FUTURE of our country Hungary – exhibited directed at, the Orban led Fidesz Government, that have SLAUGHTERED Hungary.
Avoidance – that inhibits the General Public must be of paramount importance.
We will gain greater SUPPORT & RESPECTABILITY add to our growing MILLIONS who are calling for WANT – the DOWNFALL of Orban and his Fidesz Government, by practice of “non -violent resistance”.