An MEP has proposed putting pigs’ heads on Hungary’s border fences to deter refugees trying to enter the country.
The country’s right-wing government has been criticised internationally following its perceived harsh attitude towards refugees. As part of measures to block refugees seeking to enter the country, Hungary erected a vast border fence in the hopes of stopping movement into their borders.
It recently emerged security forces have begun making scarecrows in crude attempts to deter refugees trying to enter. In response to criticism over the tactic, Hungarian MEP for the Christian Democratic European Peoples’ Party Gyorgy Schopflin tweeted: “Human images are haram… pig’s head would deter more effectively.” The Twitter account is listed on the official website of the European parliament as Schopflin’s account.
Last night, a member of European Parliament suggested putting pig heads on Hungary’s border fence to scare refugees pic.twitter.com/QCKK11Xn1r
— Andrew Stroehlein (@astroehlein) 21 August 2016
The MEP’s suggestion prompted anger online.
Andrew Stroehlein from Human Rights Watch said: “Your words are disgusting. I would expect that from anonymous neo-Nazi trolls but you’re an MEP. Act like one.”
In return, Schopflin said criticisms of him were “beginning to resemble hate speech” and refused to apologise.
Hungary has been criticised for appearing to hold unduly harsh attitudes towards refugees and for failing to take its fair share of asylum seekers along with European neighbours. Local politicians have cited concerns that to do so would cost too much financially and compromise Hungary’s Christian culture.
Of 177,135 asylum applicants to Hungary in 2015, just 146 were approved, according to government statistics.
In March of last year, the Hungarian government declared a state of emergency in the country due to Europe’s refugee crisis and deployed an additional 1,500 security personnel to the country’s Serbian frontier in a bid to deny refugees entry.
Courtesy: Independent