As Christmas approached, we heard how Western Europe was making extensive preparations to ensure the safety and smooth running of holiday festivities. All this raised hopes that this year, the Christian holiday might proceed unblemished by any acts of terror. But those hopes were dashed with the tragic events in Magdeburg.
The initial reports underestimated the number of fatalities and injuries, likely due to the Western media’s tendency to downplay terrorist acts perpetrated by individuals of migrant backgrounds and to distort the facts.
However, the vehicular terror attack in Magdeburg was so heinous that any attempts to sugarcoat the details remained futile.
Surveillance camera footage of the incident was uploaded to the internet, allowing anyone to see how the perpetrator’s car, arriving at high speed, mowed down numerous unsuspecting people at the Christmas market in a matter of seconds. Based on this, the exceptionally high number of victims was to be expected. In today’s age of advanced technology and easy access to the internet, falsifying facts officially has become much harder—a development that is beneficial for public access to important information. Without this opportunity, the police and media in the West, often kept on a short leash by the left-leaning, liberal political leadership, could manipulate the news just as they have done in the past. This is no longer possible today.
In Germany and much of the Western world, political winds are shifting. The Magdeburg attack drew sharp criticism of the German government, including from billionaire Elon Musk, the incoming U.S. Deputy Secretary for Government Efficiency. Mr. Musk labeled German Chancellor Olaf Scholz as “incompetent” and demanded his immediate resignation. Shortly before the Magdeburg incident, Mr. Musk had voiced support for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, describing it as the only viable option to “save Germany.” This tragedy inevitably raises the question of ultimate responsibility.
In my view, the blame can be traced back to Brussels’ leadership, but the root cause of Europe’s migration crisis lies squarely with Angela Merkel. During her chancellorship, Germany opened its doors to a wave of illegal migration, allowing hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants to flood into the EU.
With her well-publicized “Willkommenskultur” initiative, Ms. Merkel completed her assigned task: she pushed Germany into a pit from which it has yet to recover. Now, she can rest on her laurels, assured that no one will hold her accountable. At one time, she criticized Hungary for refusing to participate in this process, declaring that protecting refugees was the European Union’s humanitarian duty. Today, she should be asked: whose duty is it to protect innocent EU citizens? The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, also bears significant responsibility for facilitating illegal migration, even though she now appears to recognize that human smugglers are not exactly upstanding citizens. Unfortunately, she too will evade accountability, despite her role in not only migration issues but other contentious matters. Questions should also be directed at Chancellor Scholz, who visited the site of the tragedy and remarked that “nearly forty people were seriously injured,” adding: “We will not allow those who incite hatred to enter.”
I would gladly ask him: where has he been dozing all these years? Migrants who incite hatred and commit serious atrocities were admitted to Germany long ago. The Magdeburg mass murderer - a killer of Saudi origin - did not just arrive. He has been living on German soil since 2006. While it is still unknown whether he had accomplices, what is clear is that he worked as a physician and held leftist views.
At an international press conference held in Budapest's Carmelite Monastery, PM Orban reiterated Hungary’s unwavering stance on migration in response to the horrific events of Magdeburg. “They want to impose a migration policy on Hungary whose risks are glaringly obvious, and this must not be allowed,” he stated. He also pointed out that Brussels is imposing enormous financial penalties on Hungary for safeguarding its borders and refusing to accept policies that could lead to incidents like Magdeburg.
So, PM Orban stands firm, and our job, as Hungarian voters, is simply to continue to support him and the national-Christian political course, and to ensure that such chaos does not find its way into our own country.
Th eauthor is a writer and journalist
