Rioting at Roszke eight years ago after Hungary closed its southern border – internal security expert evaluates past period

Twenty police officers were injured in the clash at Roszke border crossing point eight years ago after Hungary decided to close its southern borders to illegal migrants. Events in the past eight years have shown that the right decision was made, PM Orban's chief advisor on internal security said.

Röszke, 2023. szeptember 5. Rendõrautó az ideiglenes biztonsági határzárnál Röszke közelében 2023. szeptember 5-én. MTI/Rosta Tibor Fotó: Rosta Tibor

"Events in the past eight years have shown that introducing strict border surveillance at Hungary's southern borders was the right decision, because without it millions of people would have crossed into Western Europe via Hungary," the prime minister's chief homeland security advisor said on public television on Saturday evening.

Gyorgy Bakondi, PM's chief advisor on internal security Photo: Szabolcs Vadnai

On the program, Gyorgy Bakondi was asked about the migrants' attack on the border crossing point at Roszke that took place on September 16, 2015.  After Hungary closed its borders on September 15, 2015, migrants launched a well-organized attack on Hungary's border at Roszke. It took hours for the police to contain the riot, which left

twenty police officers injured.

The PM's chief internal security advisor recalled that the Hungarian government decided more than eight years ago, after consulting the people in a national survey, to stop the influx of hundreds of thousands of migrants across the southern borders by means of technical border barriers, legal measures, and the deployment of adequate police and military forces.

"This extremely brave, [...] unique decision has proved to be right over the past eight years, because without it millions of people would have crossed through Hungary to Western Europe, without it the security and sovereignty of the Hungarian people could not have been guaranteed," the advisor pointed out.

Gyorgy Bakondi noted that although Hungary continues to protect the whole of the European Union with government-funded measures and resources, the community launches political attacks and criticizes Hungary instead of extending help in its border protection efforts. In his view, the EU's migration policy is based on the ideological consideration that as many people as possible should be admitted. Accordingly, it is good if the sovereignty and defense capacity of nation states slacken, if society becomes diverse, and if new arrivals cause instability in public health, social, ideological and political terms.

Gyorgy Bakondi highlighted 

migrants cannot prove their identity, it is unclear where they come from or what they are fleeing

This was also the case eight years ago, he said, adding that the actions taken by the police forces - acting in an exemplary manner at the border at Roszke - were proportionate and lawful, and induced a process that has enabled Hungary to guarantee the security of the Hungarian people, the stability of Hungary's economy and the future of the people living in the country.

Gyorgy Bakondi highlighted that the barrier on the southern border has recently been raised higher and doubled in length, and border guards have been equipped with modern equipment, ensuring greater protection for Hungary and the European Union than at the time the clashes at Roszke took place.

Border barriers are not new in Europe

The expert noted that border barriers have existed in the past - in Bulgaria, Spain, Greece - and the strict measure taken by Hungary has since been followed by other countries, with similar barriers having been erected in several places. He added that Italy, severely struggling with migrants arriving on sea routes, is also planning to implement changes to curb migration.

As the latest threat, the security advisor drew attention to the sub-Saharan Sahel region, from where millions of people can set out for Europe in the near future, and stressed that the Hungarian government is constantly monitoring new phenomena. Gyorgy Bakondi found it regretful that despite all this, he saw no major shift at the European level: the European Union is preparing a migration pact, with relocation quotas and migrant camps remaining in the plans. However, in his view, the Hungarian government is doing everything possible to delay or block the adoption of the package.

It was also said on the TV program that after eight years, there are still moments of drama at Hungary's southern border, with human and arms smuggling flourishing and armed migrants putting pressure on Subotica and surrounding settlements.

As reported, shootings near residential districts take place between migrants, who have divided the area among themselves. It was stressed that there could be terrorists among the migrants attacking the border in groups of as many as one hundred and there could be a total of three thousand migrants staying in camps on Serbia's side of the border.

Cover photo: Border fence at Roszke. (Photo: MTI/Tibor Rosta)