A key player in the migrant crisis just made it clear he's not going to do anything about it
REUTERS/Eric Vidal
The country is struggling to deal with influx of refugees from Syria and other Middle Eastern and African countries. The crisis intensified this week as thousands of people have crowded the main train station in Budapest, Keleti, trying to gain passage to Germany, which is generally more accepting of migrants.
At a press conference in Brussels, Orban said that the crisis is a "German problem" and that Europe has improperly encouraged refugees to come into the Schengen Area, which doesn't have strict border control.
Proposals suggesting that European countries take in a quota of migrants based on population and wealth have made it seem like refugees should "just come because we are ready to accept everybody," which "would be a moral failure because this is not the case," Orban said, according to The New York Times.
He continued: "So the moral, human thing is to make clear: Please don't come."
"This is not a European problem, it's a German problem," said Orban said, according to The Guardian. "They all want to go to Germany."
Also on Thursday, Orban wrote an opinion column for the German newspaper Allgemeine Zeitung, taking issue with the religion of the refugees, many of whom are Muslim, according to Reuters.
He wrote: "Europe and European culture have Christian roots. Or is it not already and in itself alarming that Europe's Christian culture is barely in a position to uphold Europe's own Christian values?"
Orban isn't known for shying away from strong rhetoric. He was at the center of a controversy in May when European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker was heard greeting him with, "Hello, dictator," before a summit. Some EU leaders worry about Hungary heading toward authoritarianism.
Orban has spoken out about the migration crisis before. He is fighting against multiculturalism in Hungary, and has said that there's a "clear link between illegal migrants coming to Europe and the spread of terrorism."
Reuters
Hundreds of thousands of the refugees come from Syria, which is being torn apart by a vicious civil war and terrorism, but many are also fleeing conflict in Afghanistan, Eritrea, and Nigeria.
NPR explains why the refugees are heading to Europe: "Europe is the closest wealthy, safe and accessible region from the Mideast and Africa. ... Also, some European countries are known for welcoming asylum seekers and providing benefits to help them get started in their new homes. But those countries are mostly in northern or western Europe. Migrants might arrive in Europe first in Greece, but after living on the streets or in temporary shelter there, they head to more prosperous countries, particularly Germany."
Leonhard Foeger/Reuters
The crisis keeps escalating, and it's not clear yet what the solution will be.
Conditions in refugee camps in Turkey and Lebanon are deteriorating, which is furthering the push into western Europe. The World Food Programme to cut its refugee-food-assistance program in half, and refugees seeking asylum are being turned away in Europe.
Hungary is now building a 110-mile fence along its border with Serbia to prevent more people from crossing into the country. Hungary has devoted 9,000 soldiers to the task, according to The Times.
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