Hungarian riot police clash with migrants attempting to break out from the no-man’s land between the two countries at the Hungarian-Serbian border at Röszke on September 16, 2015.
Sándor Gémesi / AFP
A decade after the Röszke border incident, Hungary highlights the importance of strong border control and strict migration policy.
In a Facebook post this morning, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán marked ten years since the 2015 Röszke border incident, in which violent migrants clashed with Hungarian riot police in an attempt to illegally cross into Hungary from Serbia.
As we previously reported, on September 15th, Orbán recalled that Hungary introduced its legal border barrier a decade ago, sealing the southern border and declaring that only those Hungarian authorities allow to enter can set foot on Hungarian soil.
Zoltán Kovács, Secretary of State for International Communication, reposted the PM’s message on X: “The picture is ten years old, but what happened that day we will never forget. Hundreds of migrants stormed Hungary’s southern border. Thanks to the fence and the heroism of Hungarian police, we stopped illegal migration that day and showed Europe: it can be done.”
The picture is ten years old, but what happened that day we will never forget. Hundreds of migrants stormed Hungary’s southern border. Thanks to the fence and the heroism of Hungarian police, we stopped illegal migration that day and… pic.twitter.com/0PDNW6tm6X
For us Hungarians, the world changed that day. We learned that Brussels’ paragraphs and imperial pacts cannot defend borders. We learned that naivety is punished without mercy–even when paired with good intentions.
In his post, Orbán stressed that border protection requires both infrastructure and courage: “What is needed: a border fence and brave frontier guards. We owe gratitude to our police, soldiers, border hunters, and everyone who defended Hungary’s borders on September 16 2015–and who defend them ever since.”
The message to Brussels remains clear, the Hungarian PM declared: “They can blackmail, fine, and parade new EU-darlings every four years–but the Hungarians will never be broken.They shall not pass!”
After a decade of strict border control, Hungary has become one of Europe’s safest countries, with low crime rates.
Rebeka Kis is a fifth-year law student at the University of Pécs. Her main interests are politics and history, with experience in the EU’s day-to-day activities gained as an intern with the Foundation for a Civic Hungary at the European Parliament.
