Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán marked the 20th anniversary of the September 11th attacks by saying that it proved “Christian civilisation” must be defended at all times, and vowing to stop mass migration from facilitating further terror.
“Two decades after the terrorist attacks in New York, it is still with a heavy heart that we remember the thousands of innocent victims. September 11, 2001, proved that the peace and security of Christian civilization is something we must fight for every day,” said the national conservative leader in a statement received by Breitbart London.
NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 4: This undated photo of two metal beams (L) forming a cross rises out of the destruction at the World Trade Center was made available in New York 04 October 2001. The cast iron “cross,” which fell intact from Tower One into nearby Building Six, was blessed 04 October 2001 by Rev. Brian Jordan, a Franciscan priest, as rescue workers who have adopted it as a symbol of faith gathered around to watch. (Photo credit should read AFP/AFP via Getty Images)
“After these sad events 20 years ago, Hungary was one of the first countries in Europe to take on a role in the fight against terrorism, and we supported our allies in NATO operations to the best of our ability,” he continued, recalling that “The 2015 European migration crisis brought terror to Europe as well” and noting that “now, what is happening in Afghanistan is again a cause for concern for us all. The security threat level is rising, and instability in the region poses significant risks to Europe.”
Prime Minister Orbán, who masterminded the construction of a highly effective border barrier at the onset of the 2015 migrant crisis, pledged that, for its part, “Hungary will defend Europe’s borders,” adding that “We are working to ensure that what happened in New York 20 years ago never happens again.”
The Hungarian leader struck a markedly different tone to Britain’s Boris Johnson, who did not reference the terror threat posed by a migrant exodus from Afghanistan and instead made the somewhat odd claim that “Recent events in Afghanistan” — i.e the Joe Biden-led and badly botched withdrawal from the country — “only strengthen our determination to remember those who were taken from us, cherish the survivors and those who still grieve and hold fast to our belief in liberty and democracy, which will always prevail over every foe.”
Prime Minister Johnson also declined to characterise the radical Islamic terrorist attacks on September 11th as an assault on “Christian civilisation”, as his Hungarian counterpart did, instead opting to describe them as an attempt to “destroy the faith of free peoples everywhere in the open societies which terrorists despise and which we cherish.”
One Christian landmark was indeed destroyed by the 9/11 terrorists, however — namely the St Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in New York, which was smashed beneath the South Tower of the World Trade Center as it collapsed.
A much grander replacement for St Nicholas is only now ready to be reopened. It will also serve as a National Shrine to 9/11 victims.
An icon recovered from the original St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, destroyed in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, is preserved at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America in New York on Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)
A charred Bible recovered from the original St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, destroyed in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, is preserved at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America in New York on Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)
Candles and a small bell recovered from the original St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, destroyed in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, are preserved at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America in New York on Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)
Andrew Veniopoulos reaches for an icon that was recovered from the original St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, destroyed in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, on Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021, at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America in New York. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)
The Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox National Shrine, right, is illuminated for the first time, late Friday, Sept. 10, 2021, at the World Trade Center in New York, marking a milestone in the reconstruction of the only house of worship to be destroyed on 9/11. The lighting comes from within panels of marble, quarried from the same vein used for the ancient Greek Parthenon. The church is designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, with its dome, windows and iconography inspired by historic former Byzantine churches, including the world-renowned Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. Saturday marks the 20th anniversary of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)