Viktor Orban warned he would never allow Brussels to transform Hungary into “a country of migrants” on Tuesday, ahead of an unprecedented vote tomorrow in the European Parliament that could strip Budapest of its EU voting rights. MEPs will vote on whether to trigger “Article 7”, an EU law drafted to ensure respect for democracy and the rule of law, amid fears that Mr Orban is turning Hungary into a dictatorship. “You believe you know better than the Hungarians themselves,” Mr Orban told MEPs, after arriving late at Tuesday's debate. “Hungary will be condemned because Hungarians have decided their country is not going to be a country of migrants.” Hungary will become the first country to face the procedure because of a European Parliament vote, if it is passed by the required two-thirds majority. Poland is also undergoing the Article 7 process, but in its case this was triggered by the European Commission rather than a parliament vote. National governments must back any action and Budapest has already vowed to veto any punishment levied on Warsaw. Mr Orban is at loggerheads with Brussels over mandatory migrant relocation quotas, as well as laws in Hungary cracking down on NGOs, the media and the Central European University. In an incendiary speech that exposed deep EU divisions, he claimed the “verdict was already written” by a “pro-migration majority”, despite his Fidesz party being a member of the European Peoples Party (EPP), the largest parliament group. “We will protect our borders and we will decide who to live together with. We have built a fence and we have stopped illegal migrants. Hundreds of thousands of them. We have defended Hungary and we have defended Europe,” he said. “This is the first case in the history of Europe when a community has condemned its own border guard,” he added. Perceived share of immigrants in national population “Thank God there is at least one European leader prepared to stand up for his principles, his culture, his nation and his people in the face of such extreme bullying,” said Nigel Farage, the MEP and former Ukip leader. “Come and join the Brexit club. You’ll love it,” he said, after telling Mr Orban he was at a “show trial”. Merkel's migration tensions | Read more There is speculation that EPP support for Mr Orban is splintering but British Conservative MEPs will vote against Article 7 because it “infringes the sovereignty of a member state”. “Will you ensure that the values of this Union are more than just words written on a piece of paper?” asked Judith Sargentini, the Dutch Green MEP who wrote the parliament report that will be voted on. Mr Orban echoed Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras and Guy Verhofstadt, the federalist MEP, in predicting that next May’s European Parliament elections would be a battle between pro-EU and anti-migrant, nationalistic parties.
