Hungarian government plans to stop people helping migrants

According to a statement by Viktor Orban’s right-wing party, issued a day after it won an election victory, new laws will make it harder for organizations to work with migrants in Hungary.

The laws will force non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working with migrants to get government permits. Income they receive from abroad will be taxed by 25 per cent and advocacy groups could be banned from going closer than eight kilometers from Hungary’s borders, where migrants file asylum claims. In addition, foreigners without authorization to help migrants could be banned from the country.

The activity of NGOs working with migrants would have to be approved by the interior minister, who could deny permission if he saw a “national security risk”.

Prime Minister Orban presented himself as the saviour of Hungary’s Christian culture against Muslim migration into Europe during the election campaign.

Before the election, Mr Orban’s government warned Hungary would descend into chaos should it become an “immigrant country” like France or Belgium. The government said the presence of migrants would weaken Hungary’s security and increase the risk of terrorism.

Mr Orban also warned the migrants would halt Hungary’s economic development, would weaken government support for rural areas, would threaten the safety of women and girls, and would turn the capital Budapest into an “unrecognizable” city.

“If the dam bursts, if the borders are opened, if immigrants set foot in Hungary, there will be no going back,” Orban said at a final campaign rally.