European ‘Christian state’ faces criticism for banning woke lessons, immigration laws: ‘Will of the people’

United Nations, New York Hungary continues to chart a path that officials believe best represents “the will of the people,” even as it puts the national government at odds with a liberal European Union. puts in

“We have been a Christian state for more than 1,000 years, when our first saint, King Stephen, entrusted the country to Mary the Virgin,” Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjarto said in a statement to Fox News Digital. take seriously.” Exclusive interview during his visit to the United Nations in New York.

“We stick to our Christian heritage. We stick to our Christian roots,” Szijjarto continued. “We implement a Christian democratic political strategy.”

Hungary has found itself increasingly at odds with the European Union following aggressive moves by the European Commission to cut some 6.3 billion euros in funding to several Hungarian institutions – a recent vote to cut funding that has been linked to Erasmus abroad. Will affect universities and students studying. program.

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Hungary has also threatened to sue the EU over the decision, but the EU has argued that the Hungarian education system does not adequately protect educational freedom from political interference.

“When you ask the liberal mainstream in Washington, in Brussels, what they think democracy is, they think a political structure can be considered a democratic one if it is liberals who govern,” Szijjarto said. . “That’s why they always speak about liberal democracy, but our position is democracy is democracy. You don’t need to use other words.”

Hungarian Foreign Minister Petar Szijjarto speaks with Fox News Digital in the East Lounge at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.
(Peter Aitken/Fox News Digital)

“We believe that democracy means that you, as a government, as a political structure, do your best to fulfill the will of the people,” he said.

Szijjárto accused the European Commission of suffering from “hungrophobia” and continuing to compound issues, as Hungary works to implement previously set targets.

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He called the action against the universities “insane”, claiming that other European countries have had similar cases but do not face the same “double standard” for, he said, “in a country that is acceptable is considered unacceptable.” others.”

“It’s really unfair that once you have an agreement about a closed list of issues that are expected to be addressed, you raise the question, is this enough?” Sizzarto argued. “Then we did it, and then the European Commission came forward with a new request.[s],

Musicians and dancers perform on stage in front of light-coloured churches during the grand opening in Veszprém, Hungary, January 21, 2023, as the city and its region become Elefsina, Greece and the European Capital of Culture in 2023. Timisoara, Romania.
(Attila Kisbenedek/AFP via Getty Images)

Two important issues raised by the commission focused on Hungary’s treatment of LGBTQ+ issues and the country’s asylum system.

In particular, European leaders raised concerns over Hungary’s law that prevents schools from teaching about homosexuality and transgender issues and accused the country’s government of failing to comply with the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights.

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Szijártó stated that the Hungarian government does not care “who people fall in love with … with whom they share their private lives” but that the government believes that “education of children about sexual orientation should be done by mothers-to-be.” The father has a special right.”

“When it comes to children, we will always protect them,” Szijjarto said. “So, that’s why we forbade LGBT organizations, NGOs, whatever they are, to go into our schools, into our kindergartens, and without any sort of control over our children. You know, that’s unacceptable.”

Hungarian soldiers patrol the Hungarian-Serbian border near the village of Tompa, Hungary, June 14, 2017.
(Reuters / Laszlo Balogh)

“We are their parents,” he said. “We know them best. I’m pretty sure there’s no LGBT NGO in the world that knows my kids better than I do.”

And while Szijjarto said it would be “very inappropriate” to give President Joe Biden any advice on border issues, he added that Hungary’s experience showed that “only with human resources, that is, only with police, border guards, military Plus, it was impossible to defend the border.”

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Hungary resolved the issue in 2015 by building a border barrier, which aimed to limit and control the flow of migrants from Afghanistan, Iraq and Sudan, as well as the surge of migrants from Syria that has caused divisions across Europe .

Szijjarto explained, “We will never give up our national right to decide who we allow to enter our territory and who we do not allow.”

A girl who fled Ukraine sits on a cot in a classroom converted into an emergency shelter at a school in Zahony, northeastern Hungary, on the border with Ukraine, on March 4, 2022.
(Marten Monas / Photo Alliance via Getty Images)

“Therefore, there is no external force that would be entitled to take over this capacity of decision-making from itself,” he added. Migration Policy.

The border has come into renewed focus as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine nears the one-year mark: Hungary has accepted nearly 1 million refugees from Ukraine, but has denied entry to nearly 260,000 illegal immigrants from other countries. has stopped.

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“They have passed through a series of safe countries,” Szijjarto said. “They have no right to come in. There is no reason for any person to violate the border between two peaceful countries.”

Hungary is concerned about Ukraine, noting that the effects of the conflict are “serious and immediate” for their country due to “refugees, skyrocketing inflation, skyrocketing energy prices, skyrocketing food prices”.

Szijártó said that to the US, the conflict may appear “an ocean away”, but the consequences are “really dire at home,” which is why Hungary is advocating for peace talks and a change in “the current war rhetoric”. Is. He argued that peace talks are also in the interests of the Ukrainian people because “they are the victims.”

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“The longer this war goes on, the longer it will drag on,” he said. “The more it can escalate, the more people will suffer.”

Reuters contributed to this report.