At an oath-taking ceremony in Heroes’ Square, Budapest, for more than 860 police recruits who will join the Border Policing Directorate of the Riot Police, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that the Hungarian people do not want a global mass migration to change Hungary.

The Prime Minister stressed that the Hungarian people want to live in peace, order and security; they do not want chaos, and at times like these, the role of those whose mission it is to protect law and order tends to be appreciated more.

Mr. Orbán told them: "You are the defenders of our culture, lifestyle and sovereignty”, and that they are charged with protecting Europe, Hungary, and its borders.

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The Prime Minister asked them to be humane, but to enforce the laws of Hungary without compromise.

He stressed that Hungary’s one thousand-year-old statehood gives it the unquestionable right to protect its borders, citizens and culture. Hungary has the right to decide who may enter the country and who may not, and it is its duty to ensure that everyone who is allowed to enter observes its laws. "It will be your duty to enforce this with respect to those who cross the Hungarian state border”, the Prime Minister pointed out, indicating that this is a difficult task, and it is not very often that young people who join the police find themselves in such a critical situation.

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In the context of the record-breaking level of illegal migration, Mr. Orbán said that the world has been shaken out of its normal course. Life has changed dramatically in the last few months, and Hungarians must find their own response to this in good time. This special oath-taking was also part of this response.

There has been peace in Europe for many decades, he said, but “history has now kicked the door open”, and we have been compelled to learn that peace, order and security are not things that we can take for granted. We must make efforts to maintain them, he said, highlighting that Hungary is facing a challenge today not seen since the Balkan wars. In just a few months, a mass of people equivalent to the population of Szeged have arrived in Hungary across the Serbian border, the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister also said that everyone is now using the highest praise to describe the efforts of the police over the last few weeks; they have earned this, he said, through their hard work, patience and humanity.

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Mr Orbán went on to speak about the new Hungarian regulations entering into force on Tuesday, which, he pointed out, will strengthen protection of Hungary’s borders. From Tuesday onwards illegal border crossing will be a crime carrying a prison sentence or expulsion. At the same time, he said, particularly heavy sentences will be handed down to human traffickers, who fully deserve this for trading in people's lives.

Finally the Prime Minister told the recruits to prepare for encountering people who have been sold false dreams, and who will show anger and aggression. They should respond, he said, with something they learnt from their parents and teachers: “There is a heart beneath your uniform, not just muscle; you will need both".

(Prime Minister's Office, MTI)