Orbán’s new threat: Dispatching migrants to Grand-Place in Brussels

We’ll be sending migrants to the Grand-Place in Brussels, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán warned the EU on Monday.

“If Brussels persists in its decision to punish us, it will get what it wants,” the Hungarian prime minister said, referring to a previous decision by the Court of Justice of the European Union to fine Budapest €200 million for breaking EU asylum rules.

“We will take the migrants who are banging on Hungary’s gates to the main square in Brussels.”

In late August, the Hungarian government came up with the idea — borrowed and amended from the U.S. Republican playbook — of giving every migrant trying to enter the country a one-way ticket to Brussels. The previous June ruling by the EU’s top court had forced Budapest to adopt a “no detention” refugee policy, meaning it couldn’t keep asylum seekers in prison-like “transit zones.” (For all that the EU‘s latest plans would introduce similar “reception centers” at Schengen borders.)

The mayor of Brussels and other Belgian officials have slammed the Budapest proposal, calling it a “provocation that contradicts European obligations.” Orbán, however, insists the CJEU ruling is unfair — especially as countries in Western Europe tighten their own border controls — and wants to get his own back. 

“The era of free travel is coming to an end,” Orbán said in his speech to the country’s parliament, referring to Germany’s decision to temporarily introduce controls at its borders and new French Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s stance on tightening France’s frontier controls. 

Orbán said that “all they had to do” to avoid this situation was to “follow the Hungarian example and not let the migrants in in the first place.” He added, however, that even if Budapest’s policy was “proved right,” Hungary is still being punished for “defending Europe’s borders.”