Multiculturalism and mass immigration are endangering Europe’s “Christian roots” and creating “parallel societies” that threaten the values of free speech and equal rights, the Prime Minister of Hungary has said.

Speaking to Spanish TV channel Intereconomia, Viktor Orban defended the idea that Europe is a “continent based on Christian values”, adding: “When a crowd rushes into your house without declaring its intention, it is by definition an invasion.”

The continent’s prosperity, he said, will depend on present and future generations taking their “traditions and Christian roots seriously”. He also lamented the European Union’s (EU) failure to make this explicit, saying it was a mistake “that an affirmation of Europe’s Christian roots was not laid down in the European Union’s fundamental documents.”

Sooner or later, he said, the EU will have to rethink that decision if it is to ever defend the values of the “Christian races” of Europe.

Speaking on the ongoing migrant crisis, Mr Orban said there were three important aspects European leaders need to realise. First is the philosophical dimension: “What sort of Europe do we want to have? Parallel societies? Muslim communities living together with the Christian community?”

The second dimension is democratic: “Nobody has voted for what is going on, so the quality of European democracy is in question.”

“Millions of migrants are coming to the European Union,” he said, adding that European powers seem to be neglecting various treaties that respect borders.

The third dimension is how to manage the crisis: “What to do with human beings who are [seeking asylum], and how at the same time to deal with human trafficking, which is a criminal offence.”

When asked why he is often depicted as the “bad guy”, Mr Orban said that conservatives in Europe do not have the same “channels” to communicate their ideas to the people as the “relativistic” left, who have more support from the media and universities.

“Many politicians in European countries feel they have to accommodate themselves to that pressure [from the left],” Mr Orban said, otherwise the media will say bad things about them and affect their election chances. This affects centre-right politicians across the continent, Mr Orban added.

He urged Europeans to “stick to our Christian values”, adding “Europe can be saved”, but they have to “take seriously the traditions, the Christian roots and all the values that are the basis of the civilisation of Europe.”