{"id":11146,"date":"2026-04-12T11:05:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T11:05:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/11146\/"},"modified":"2026-04-12T11:05:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T11:05:07","slug":"is-the-hardliner-who-built-this-110-mile-barbed-wire-fence-to-stem-flow-of-illegal-migrants-about-to-lose-his-crown-to-a-brussels-poodle-in-hungarys-crunch-election-asks-sue-reid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/11146\/","title":{"rendered":"Is the hardliner who built this 110-mile barbed wire fence to stem flow of illegal migrants about to lose his crown to a ‘Brussels poodle’ in Hungary’s crunch election? asks SUE REID"},"content":{"rendered":"

Snaking for 110 miles across bleak, flat countryside is the barbed wire fence that Hungary<\/a> built to keep out migrants. Designed to rip apart the flesh of humans who try to climb it, this monstrous edifice has stopped more than a million strangers illegally entering Europe over the past ten years.<\/p>\n

The fence is hated by the European Union<\/a>\u2019s bureaucrats in Brussels who refused to export to Hungary the steel spikes needed to help build it at the start of the migration crisis in 2015.<\/p>\n

So, acting fast, the rebellious former Communist nation \u2013 which lies on a key transit route for Middle-Eastern refugees and economic opportunists crossing into western Europe via Serbia \u2013 defiantly built a factory to make its own.<\/p>\n

Once the wall was in place, the rate of migration plunged by an extraordinary 95 per cent or more \u2013 from roughly 400,000 in 2015 to fewer than 18,000 by 2016. Today, the yearly tally is a trickle of less than 30, suggesting asylum seekers have given up on Hungary.<\/p>\n

The now world-famous barrier, built in part by the hands of Hungary\u2019s criminals as part of prison labour<\/a>, is the pride and joy of the country\u2019s prime minister Viktor Orban.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the run-up to crucial elections today, he declared: \u2018Only we built a fence. Only we said no to Brussels. Only we stopped mass migration. Our people decide who enters, our culture, our future.\u2019<\/p>\n

In cold drizzling rain last week, I stood beside the border fence, a two-hour drive from capital Budapest. Stern-looking armed guards drove patrol cars up and down a track beside it.<\/p>\n

\"Sue <\/p>\n

Sue Reid visited the wall along the Hungarian\/Serbian border where attempts to cross have massively diminished<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The fence is hated by the European Union \u2019s bureaucrats in Brussels who refused to export to Hungary the steel spikes needed to help build it at the start of the migration crisis in 2015<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The now world-famous barrier, built in part by the hands of Hungary\u2019s criminals as part of prison labour, is the pride and joy of the country\u2019s prime minister Viktor Orban (pictured)<\/p>\n

A white truck turned up, with workers unloading shiny new coils of spiked wire to mend holes through which a migrant on the Serbian side might try his luck to slip into the EU.<\/p>\n

One border guard, Nadai Zoltan, later told a TV crew how the few who manage to breach the fence are treated. \u2018It is impossible here to give an illegal migrant a hotel room as you do in Britain.<\/p>\n

\u2018We take them immediately to the border gate at the fence and tell them to leave.<\/p>\n

\u2018At the peak of the invasion, they became aggressive. They attacked border guards with stones. On the other side in Serbia, the guards there have found migrants with guns shooting at them.\u2019<\/p>\n

What happens if a migrant refuses to leave Hungarian soil?<\/p>\n

\u2018They don\u2019t say no,\u2019 another border guard explained.<\/p>\n

The truth is they have no choice, faced as they are with Hungarian guards who push them back and force them to walk of their own accord into the hinterland leading directly to Serbia.<\/p>\n

The fence cost millions of euros to build. It is electrified \u2013 a touch with so much as a toe on the Serbian side sparks a loudspeaker announcement in English to \u2018go away\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Any migrant who loiters near it soon finds a fleet of trucks carrying Hungarian guards arriving to chase him away from the border fence.<\/p>\n

It seems Hungary has found a simple way to solve the problem cursing the rest of Europe.<\/p>\n

For his defiance against Brussels in building the barrier, Viktor Orban and his ruling Fidesz Party of Christian nationalists are paying a price.<\/p>\n

\"Stern-looking <\/p>\n

Stern-looking armed guards drove patrol cars up and down a track beside it. Migrants have no choice but to turn around<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The fence cost millions of euros to build. It is electrified \u2013 a touch with so much as a toe on the Serbian side sparks a loudspeaker announcement in English to \u2018go away\u2019<\/p>\n

The European Union fines Hungary one million euros \u2013 or \u00a3870,000 \u2013 a day as a penalty for turning back illegals and refusing to offer them asylum. Orban also refuses Brussels\u2019 demand that Hungary takes a share of so-called asylum seekers entering the bloc elsewhere each year. The result is that EU-Hungary relations are at an all-time low.<\/p>\n

This weekend, crucial elections could end Orban\u2019s 16 years in power. It is a two-horse race between his ruling hard-Right party, and the upstart Tisza party run by former Orban devotee Peter Magyar, who has defected and now been labelled a puppet of Brussels.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Few outside Hungary had even heard of the middle-ranking civil servant Magyar until 2023, when he broke ranks, unleashing a blistering attack upon the Orban government.<\/p>\n

The onslaught included the release of a tape-recording of Magyar\u2019s ex-wife in conversation, when she was justice minister, alleging corruption among officials and ministers.<\/p>\n

In an astonishing surge, Magyar has come from nowhere to lead in the polls ahead of the election \u2013 one recent poll had his party seven points ahead, although others suggest Orban\u2019s party has rallied in recent days.<\/p>\n

Making hay out of the corruption allegations, Magyar has galvanised disillusioned voters across the political spectrum through his social media and on-the-ground speeches, turning the fledgling Tisza movement into a vehicle that could well end Orban\u2019s rule \u2013 as well as Hungary\u2019s hostility towards the EU.<\/p>\n

Magyar has built up an image of a tough, masculine leader, posing, for example, in a Facebook post wearing a sweatshirt emblazoned with the phrase \u2018The Man\u2019.<\/p>\n

He has doubled down on campaigning, visiting six cities a day in the past fortnight, in an attempt to break through the tight control Orban maintains on much of the country\u2019s media.<\/p>\n

\"Peter <\/p>\n

Peter Magyar, the leader of the opposition Tisza party attends a rally in Debrecen, Hungary. Magyar has been labelled a puppet of Brussels<\/p>\n

\u2018There\u2019s no doubt there is significant support behind Tisza,\u2019 admits Andr\u00e1s Cser-Palkovics, the mayor of Szekesfehervar in central Hungary who is a member of Orban\u2019s Fidesz Party and considered one of the party\u2019s few independent voices. \u2018I think that this race is going to be a very tight one.\u2019<\/p>\n

A Tisza victory would destroy Orban\u2019s powerbase, bring the country closer to Brussels and make it more hostile to Putin\u2019s Russia, which Orban counts as an ally.<\/p>\n

The true \u2013 and alarming \u2013 extent of that alliance may have been uncovered only last week by Bloomberg News, which claimed to have obtained a Hungarian government transcript of a call that took place between Orban and Putin just last October.<\/p>\n

Orban reportedly compared their relationship to that of a \u2018mouse\u2019 standing ready to help the Russian \u2018lion\u2019 as needed.<\/p>\n

\u2018Yesterday our friendship rose to such a high level that I can help in any way,\u2019 Orban reportedly told Putin in the call. \u2018In any matter where I can be of assistance, I am at your service.\u2019<\/p>\n

Critics have described Orban as Putin\u2019s \u2018Trojan horse\u2019, suggesting that he\u2019s happy to assist the Russian leader in destabilising western Europe and the EU. This, however, did not prevent the US Vice President JD Vance endorsing Orban in a flying visit to Hungary last week \u2013 as we shall see.<\/p>\n

Orban has openly sought to turn Hungary in to what he calls an \u2018illiberal democracy\u2019. And Magyar has played on this during the campaign, calling his government corrupt and authoritarian. The Berlin-based Transparency International Secretariat earlier declared Hungary the most corrupt country in the EU.<\/p>\n

Yet the challenger claims to align with Orban on migration controls and on putting Hungarian families first. So will the upstart gain support from other parties?<\/p>\n

\"Posters <\/p>\n

Posters are seen in Budapest ahead of the Hungarian elections.\u00a0Ironically, Hungary\u2019s election comes amid growing support for EU leaders who secure their borders<\/p>\n

\"Views <\/p>\n

Views can be seen towards Fisherman’s Bastion in Budapest city centre ahead of the Hungarian elections<\/p>\n

\u2018We are not going to actually get into bed with Magyar,\u2019 one Hungarian opposition politician said recently. \u2018It\u2019s just, you know, we need somebody to put Orban behind us. This is the first chance.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018We are not voting for Tisza, we are voting against Fidesz,\u2019 added a member of the Hungarian parliament from the Green Party who has stepped down to clear the way for a Magyar candidate.<\/p>\n

\u2018Hungarians would vote for a goat at this point if it was running against Orban.\u2019 On the ground meanwhile, I found voters in a state of deep indecision, whatever the polls tell us.<\/p>\n

One 38-year-old truck driver and father of three whom I chatted to at a cafe with pretty awnings, on a squeakily clean Budapest street, summed up their dilemma.<\/p>\n

\u2018We like Mr Orban\u2019s policies on protecting our family life, the tax breaks for mothers which encourage more births. But the rumours of corruption scandals are the continual problem with his Government. I have always voted for Orban, but this time it will be his rival Peter Magyar.\u2019<\/p>\n

Last week Vance rode into town to support the Orban campaign. He extended his two-day stay by 24 hours to take in the magnificent sights of Budapest.<\/p>\n

On arrival Vance warned against any interference by the EU in the election. His intervention triggered a three per cent drop in the polls for Orban\u2019s party, according to claims on political sites. However, not all may be what it seems.<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump made a surprise phone call during one of Vance\u2019s speeches in Hungary.<\/p>\n

As soon as the audience of thousands heard Trump\u2019s unmistakable voice over the line, they erupted into deafening cheers of support for Orban.<\/p>\n

\"Supporters <\/p>\n

Supporters of Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban at a rally on Monday March 30, 2026 during a very rainy day in the town of Szolnok\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Signage <\/p>\n

Signage can be seen for political parties in Budapest city centre ahead of the Hungarian elections<\/p>\n

JD Vance greeted Trump\u2019s call with a big smile, saying \u2018Mr President, how are you?\u2019 Trump replied with a simple \u2018Hi!\u2019 \u2014 and that alone sent the entire room into pandemonium.<\/p>\n

Vance then told Trump he was speaking live to about 5,000 Hungarian patriots, joking, \u2018I think they love you more than they love Viktor Orban!\u2019<\/p>\n

Trump jumped right in with strong praise for Hungary\u2019s leadership: \u2018Viktor didn\u2019t allow people to storm in and invade your country like other people have.’<\/p>\n

Ironically, Hungary\u2019s election comes amid growing support for EU leaders who secure their borders, put their own citizens first, and refuse to bow to asylum seekers\u2019 insatiable demands.<\/p>\n

Orban, whatever his faults, has devoted his life and politics to Hungary. Hungarians do not suffer from grooming scandals associated with Pakistani-heritage rape gangs here, the streets are clean, and girls can safely walk to meet friends in the evening.<\/p>\n

Budapest is a fun and safe city to live in or visit.<\/p>\n

If he is wrenched from power, it will be just as other European countries are turning to Orban\u2019s anti-immigration style of government. Right-wing parties such as National Rally and AFD top the polls in France and Germany as their people resist uncontrolled borders, mass inward migration, and the soaring birth rates of foreign newcomers.<\/p>\n

\"It <\/p>\n

It seems Hungary has found a simple way to solve the problem cursing the rest of Europe. Pictured: Security cameras at the fence<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

A sign written in Arabic warns migrans of the risks of touching the electrified fence on the Hungarian\/Serbian border<\/p>\n

\"\u00bfWe <\/p>\n

\u2018We take them immediately to the border gate at the fence and tell them to leave,’ one border guard said<\/p>\n

This presents voters with a serious dilemma. If a coup takes place at the ballot box today and Magyar wins, the country\u2019s family-friendly policies are predicted to remain in place which will be popular.<\/p>\n

But whatever his party\u2019s claims about being anti-immigration, the reset in Hungary-EU relations that Magyar is determined to introduce will mean the country\u2019s firm control over its borders could be reversed and the barbed-wire fence at the southern borders may go. If so, asylum seekers will jump into action, pouring in from Serbia and the rest of the Balkans.<\/p>\n

\u2018We are worried that Hungary will become a vassal state of Brussels like all the other EU nations,\u2019 a lady in her 70s coming out of a splendid Budapest church told me. \u2018We leave our keys in the door, crime is low, we feel safe. Why would we want to alter that by letting in everyone who wants to live here?\u2019 Yes, the winds of change appear to be happening.<\/p>\n

If Orban wins, there is talk of his Government attempting to loosen links, even split, with the EU. If he is thrown out, Hungary\u2019s brave stand against Brussels will be over. Whatever happens, today\u2019s vote is a pivotal moment.<\/p>\n

But as to what the outcome will actually be, it is a question that no one seems able to answer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Snaking for 110 miles across bleak, flat countryside is the barbed wire fence that Hungary built to keep…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11147,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[18,1820,326,144,1198],"class_list":{"0":"post-11146","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-brussels","8":"tag-brussels","9":"tag-dailymail","10":"tag-hungary","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-serbia"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@be\/116391413398382602","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11146","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11146"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11146\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}