Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Dutch nationalist leader Geert Wilders joined a host of European conservative politicians at the annual rally of Italy’s League party in Pontida, Northern Italy, to express solidarity with Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini.
League leader, Salvini, is facing a possible six-year prison sentence for refusing to allow a migrant boat to dock in 2019 when he served as interior minister.
Greeting Orbán with a warm embrace, Salvini received the Hungarian prime minister’s full backing in front of a large, enthusiastic crowd as he underscored his support for the Italian nationalist and condemned the legal proceedings against him.
“Salvini is considered a hero in Hungary because he defended the borders. In fact, he defended Europe, and for that, he deserves an award, not criminal proceedings,” Orbán said. He further described the charges as “the shame of the left and the whole of Europe.”
“Italy for Italians, Hungary for Hungarians”
Orbán highlighted the deep historical ties between Hungary and Italy, recalling their shared fight for freedom in the 19th century.
“Italians and Hungarians are two peoples who fought for freedom, and we are their heirs. We will never surrender, we will never give up our freedom, and we will never hand over our country to foreigners,” he proclaimed.
“We will not give it to Brussels bureaucrats, global financial powers, or migrants. Italy belongs to the Italians, Hungary to the Hungarians,” he added.
The Hungarian leader shared his country’s approach to migration and security as an example for Italy to follow, highlighting Hungary’s strict immigration policies. “The number of illegal immigrants in Hungary is zero,” he declared, noting that his government only grants refuge to those who follow legal procedures.
Criticism of the European Union
Orbán reignited the ongoing feud with the European Commission, accusing Brussels of punishing Hungary for its refusal to accept migrants. He noted that Hungary has been fined €200 million and continues to pay €1 million daily as penalties for its opposition to the controversial EU Migration Pact.
The fight between Brussels and Budapest was further inflamed last week after Berlaymont announced on Thursday that it was taking legal action against Hungary over its “national sovereignty” law that imposes jail terms on organizations accepting foreign funds for political activities.
“The people of Brussels are punishing me because we are protecting Europe. This is a shame for Brussels,” Orbán said, reiterating his administration’s threat to bus migrants directly to Brussels. “If they want migrants, they will get them,” he said.
The Hungarian prime minister also took aim at what he called the “ocean of left-wing hegemony” in Europe, celebrating Hungary as an “island” that has successfully resisted the left for 14 years. He called upon other European patriots to take up the fight. “We don’t have to withdraw from Brussels, we have to enter it. Brussels must be occupied and given back to the European people,” Orbán urged.
A call for patriotic unity
Orbán encouraged the Italian right to unite behind Salvini and the League party, drawing comparisons to Hungary’s political success under his leadership. “The mission of the Hungarians today is to defeat the left, which Hungary has proven five times,” he said, emphasizing that “patriots can govern more successfully than the left.”
The Hungarian leader made a rallying cry for a broader pan-European alliance of nationalist parties, citing the electoral success of conservative forces in Italy and the Netherlands, and most recently in Austria and Czechia.
He predicted that the right-wing movement would grow into Europe’s largest political force, with the goal of making Europe “great, rich, and free again.”
“We are in trouble,” Orbán warned, speaking of the growing threat posed by mass migration, increased crime, and the erosion of European values. But, he said, with strong leaders like Salvini and the support of European patriots, “the future of Europe will be secured.”
