Demonstration held against border fence by Basilica

Budapest, July 14 (MTI) – A demonstration was held against the border fence being erected on Hungary’s border with Serbia and tightened migrant laws, the organising migrants rights group MigSzol said.

Protesters gathered in front of the Basilica in central Budapest on Tuesday evening and voiced their opposition to the government’s “portrayal of migrants as economic immigrants”. Speakers addressing the event said building a fence on the border will not solve problems.

Addressing the event, Julia Ivan, a representative of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, a human rights organisation, said with the new migrant laws Hungary has “delisted from among the ranks of civilised European nations.” She said it was cynical to regard someone fleeing from war as an economic migrant.

Later the demonstrators moved to parliament square where they symbolically dismantled a fence.

On the subject of migrants, the head of parliament’s defence and law enforcement committee said the number of illegal migrants in Hungary could reach 140,000-160,000 by year-end. Lajos Kosa told public news channel M1 late on Tuesday that many migrants are assisted by human traffickers, paying 3,000-6,000 US dollars “in hope of finding a better life in Austria, Germany or Scandinavia”. He said they often destroy their “Schengen papers received in Greece” which causes further problems.

Photo: MTI