The Hungarian government has pledged to keep its borders strong and to maintain its border fence–which has drastically reduced illegal immigration–in spite of a new ruling from the European Court of Justice which found that Hungary illegally detained migrants vying to reach cushy Northern European welfare states.
Hungary also voted on what has been dubbed the erasure of trans people or the end of transgender legal recognition in a 134-56 vote making it impossible to legally change one’s sex on identity documents.
According to Voice of Europe, the steadfast Central European country made the statement following a uptick in migratory transit in the region during the first quarter of 2020 before the coronavirus global pandemic had begun national lockdowns, thus paralyzing mass immigration.
The Frontex report found:
“There were fewer than 100 detections of illegal border crossings recorded on this route in April, down 94% from the previous month. However, in the first four months, the number of illegal border crossings increased by 60% from the same period of last year to nearly 6,000.”
RMX News reported Hungarian State Secretary of the Defense Ministry Szilárd Németh signaled that their border with Serbia would begin to face increased waves of migrants as coronavirus lockdowns eased up. Németh went onto add that the country would do everything in its power to protect its border.
Over the weekend, 151 illegal immigrants were caught attempting to traverse the landlocked Central European country.
Earlier today, National File reported on the Hungarian Parliament comfortably voting for the removal of legal transgender recognition as one’s sex cannot be changed on official documentation.
The controversial Article 33 brought in sweeping reforms under the guise of direct action in tackling the global pandemic.
International activist groups have decried the decision. Hungary’s Amnesty International Researcher Krisztina Tamás-Sáróy said:
“This decision pushes Hungary back towards the dark ages and tramples the rights of transgender and intersex people. It will not only expose them to further discrimination but will also deepen an already intolerant and hostile environment faced by the LGBTI community.
“It is critical for Hungary’s Commissioner for Fundamental Rights to act urgently and request that the Constitutional Court review and swiftly annuls the appalling provisions of this law.
“Everyone’s gender identity should be legally recognised and everyone must be allowed to change their legal name and gender markers on all official documents.”
At the national registry and identification documents, instead of an option of “sex” an option for “sex assigned at birth” will be available.
Hungary’s populist policies have proven incredibly popular among conservatives and nationalists around the world.
Recently, Hungary’s pro-family policy, which was blasted by neoliberals, has become subject of a new wave of attack on social media, despite its reported success.
