Train stations and railway platform jam-packed with migrants, clashes at the Hungary-Serbia border and terrorist attacks all across Europe. Although these events occurred a decade ago, the repercussions of the 2015 migration crisis and the European Union's misguided response to it are still vivid in people's memory. Western member states, with Angela Merkel's Germany at the forefront, decided to open the borders, sending an invitation to millions of African and Middle Eastern migrants seeking to reach Europe. Eight years later, it appears as if nothing has changed: the new migration pact, recently approved by a majority of EU interior ministers, imposes a mandatory - albeit voluntary in name - migrant quota and levies a fine on member states that refuse to take in asylum seekers, imposing a €22,000-penalty (around HUF 8 million) per migrant.
Brussels is abusing its power. They want to transfer migrants into Hungary, forcibly. This is unacceptable! They want to turn Hungary into an immigrant country by force,
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said. And the danger of this is real, given the huge migratory pressure that has been exerted on Europe in recent times, with levels that are almost comparable to that witnessed in 2015.
In our article, we compiled the most memorable and tragic events of the 2015 migration crisis, without attempting to provide a full picture.
Railway station packed with migrants
In August 2015, Budapest's busiest hubs, including the capital's Eastern Railway Station, was flooded by thousands of migrants.
The migrants set up tents in the nearby underpass, making it almost impossible for passers-by to move, paralyzing the daily life of Budapest residents.
The chaotic situation was finally brought to an end in September 2015, when a fence was erected on the Hungary-Serbia border
Clashes at the Hungary-Serbia border
However, tensions haven't subsided at the Röszke-Horgos crossing point along the Hungary-Serbia border.
In mid-September 2015, migrants trying to enter Hungary launched an attack against the police officers protecting the border, hurling sticks and stones and pieces of concrete and water bottles brought to the scene by aid agencies.
Police used tear gas and water cannons, while the attackers set car tyres ablaze and threw them off from the roofs of nearby outbuildings.
Terrorist attacks all across Europe
The 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris have gone down in the history as the most tragic such incident in recent years. On the evening of 13 November 2015, three separate bombings and six shootings took place in different parts of the French capital, claiming at least 130 lives.
Most of the perpetrators were French or Belgian nationals with an immigrant background, but there were some who arrived in Europe amidst of the 2015 migration crisis.
The attack was claimed by the Islamic State terrorist organization.
Berlin was rocked by a similarly shocking terrorist attack in 2016. On 19 December, Tunisian immigrant Anis Amri plowed a hijacked truck at high speed into a crowded Christmas market in the German capital, smashing passers-by, vendors and shoppers alike.
Twelve people were killed and dozens were left injured in the attack.
Migrant crime now a part of everyday life
In addition to the tragic events, migrant crime has become part of everyday life in Europe, especially in the western and northern member states, as migrants are terrorizing European citizens. The latest disquieting incident occurred in France on Thursday, precisely on the day when the new migration pact was approved, when a man of Syrian descent with an immigrant background attacked and stabbed six people with a knife - including four children - in broad daylight, causing life-threatening injuries to many. Similar incidents and attacks in Italy, Sweden and Germany are part of the daily news coverage these days.
Cover photo: A migrant besieging the Serbia-Hungary border in 2015. (Photo: Arpad Kurucz)
