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The mayor first unveiled the plans to ban Muslim traditions as part of a “preventative action package” of laws last November, describing them as a « defence against the forced mass resettlement of migrants by Brussels ». The Hungarian government is due to rule on the legality of Asotthalom’s by-laws later in February.
In another display of his strong anti-refugee rhetoric, MrToroczkai released a video in 2015 warning immigrants entering the town that they would be caught and imprisoned.
The video, which appeared to be a mash-up between a clichéd car advert and a low budget action film, showed dramatic police chase scenes on the Hungary-Serbia border, ending with the ominous warning: « If you are an illegal immigrant and you want to get to Germany… Hungry is a bad choice. Asotthalom is the worst. »
The mayor’s latest remarks come as Hungary’s government on Monday submitted proposals to the EU that all asylum seekers in the county be automatically detained for the entirety of their asylum claim. The government’s chief spokesman, Zoltán Kovács, said anyone seeking asylum through the country would be kept in “shelters” for the entire period of their application.
Speaking at a briefing in London, Mr Kovács said: “No migrants – not even those who have already issued their request for asylum – will be able move freely until there is a primary legal decision whether they are entitled for political asylum, refugee status or anything else, so they are not entitled to move freely in the country.”
Hungary has repeatedly clashed with the EU over its migration policy, including its decision to erect a fence on its Serbian border and its refusal to accept EU-wide asylum quotas. During 2015, the country saw nearly 10,000 refugees entering every day.
The country set up border fences with Serbia last year, and plans to employ between 6,000 to 8,000 border guards “to apprehend those coming through the fence”.