“Your grossly defamatory and inflammatory attacks against Hungary are in fact anti-Hungarian racist statements” – MEP Tamás Deutsch’s letter of reply to Guy Verhofstadt

In a letter, liberal MEP Guy Verhofstadt has called for the European Parliament to once again condemn Hungary in an extraordinary plenary or committee session and to call on the Council and the Commission to speed up the Article 7 procedure against it. In his reply, Tamás Deutsch, Head of Delegation of Fidesz in the European Parliament, stressed that the grossly defamatory and inflammatory attacks against Hungary by the liberal MEP are in fact anti-Hungarian racist statements, which are an attack on common European values and reminiscent of the darkest period in 20th century European history. He stressed that “it is astounding and unworthy that the European Parliament is being used to incite racist sentiment against a Member State!”

In a letter of reply to liberal MEP Guy Verhofstadt, MEP Tamás Deutsch underlined that “the lying and hysterical anti-Hungarianism that you and your comrades have been pursuing for more than a decade is as intolerant, hateful and racist a narrative as the anti-Israelism identified as a new form of anti-Semitism”.

He recalled that Europe is facing challenges of unprecedented scale and gravity, and that preserving the unity of the European Union is more important than ever. Therefore, “it is astounding and unworthy that the European Parliament is being used to incite racist sentiment against one of its Member States”, HoD Tamás Deutsch concluded.

MEP Guy Verhoftstadt’s letter and MEP Tamás Deutsch’s reply can be found below.

Dear President Metsola,
In recent days the Orbán government in Hungary has taken yet another turn for the worst.
Immediately assuming emergency powers was a worrying sign of the state of democracy in the country. Prime Minister Orbán’s words this week about not wanting to become ‘a mixed race’, go ever further than has so far been the case. This is in clear breach of the norms and values spelled out in the European Treaties and remind us the most darkest days of European history.
The European Union cannot allow such rhetoric to fester, nor can we afford —especially in these times of geopolitical stress— political leaders with such an openly racist and anti-democratic agenda to decide on EU policies. We need to use any means we dispose of.
The European Parliament voted in 2018 to trigger the TEU Article 7-procedure on which the Council has still not concluded.
We believe this grave moment calls for a special emergency session of Parliament (in plenary or in committee), with an aim to seize the Council and the Commission in taking up their responsibility in defence of democracy in Hungary, and in the European Union as a whole.

Yours sincerely,
Guy Verhofstadt

Dear Mr Verhofstadt,

I was shocked to read your letter addressed to President Metsola, in which you cast further aspersions on Hungary and its prime minister.

I must conclude that the lying and hysterical anti-Hungarianism that you and your comrades have been practicing for more than a decade is as intolerant, hateful and racist narrative as the anti-Israelism identified as a new form of anti-Semitism. 

Your grossly defamatory and inflammatory attacks on Hungary are in fact anti-Hungarian racist manifestations, and as such, an attack on common European values and reminiscent of the darkest period in 20th century European history.

It is quite astounding and unworthy of your office that, at a time when Europe is facing challenges of unprecedented scale and gravity, and when it is more important than ever to preserve the unity of the European Union, you are using your membership in the European Parliament to incite racist sentiment against one of its Member States.

Yours sincerely,

Tamás Deutsch MEP

Head of the Fidesz delegation to the European Parliament