Hungary wants to know how many migrants arriving in Europe were “paid” by the UN

By HUNGARY JOURNAL 19 November 2018

Hungary’s Fidesz-led alliance expects the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to respond in connection with the issue of “migrant cards”, the ruling parties’ group spokesman told press conference on Sunday.

Istvan Hollik said Hungary wanted “a straight answer”concerning how many migrants arriving in Europe were“paid” by the United Nations, how many types of cards were in circulation and funded by the UNHCR, how much money the organisation had paid out via the cards as well as how much money each migrant received.

He noted these questions have already been addressed to the European Commission president and the European Parliament’s LIBE committee without any response so far.

“I’d also like to know what the UN High Commissioner for Refugees thinks about the possibility that the money doled out through the cards can be used for people smuggling and financing terrorism,”

he added.

Hollik said the questions were relevant since the UN has a standpoint on migration and various UN leaders openly make pro-migration statements while attacking Hungarian anti-migration policy.

The spokesman said the UN is still working on adopting a migration pact whose aim is to make migration a fundamental human right.

“Fidesz, the Christian Democrats and the Hungarian government resolutely reject this,” he said, adding several other countries besides Hungary, including Austria, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and the United States, rejected the UN document.

November 19, 2018 0

Rescued Migrants Demand to be Dropped Off in Italy

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By Deutsche Welle

The 94 passengers were rescued by a passing container ship last week as they were en route to Italy.

After being returned to Libya they have refused to get off the ship.

The Libyan coast guard reported Wednesday that migrant passengers aboard a container ship docked at the port of Misrata are refusing to disembark.

The migrants, who are from Eritrea, Somalia, Bangladesh and Sudan, were rescued last week when their vessel began sinking en route to Italy. The vessel was too far from Libya for the coast guard to rescue, so authorities asked a container ship sailing in the opposite direction to pick them up.

That ship has now docked at its intended destination but officials say: “When we asked the migrants to get off the ship, they refused and demanded it take them to Italy.”

‘It’s a prison’

A 19-year-old Sudanese migrant from Darfur said: “I was stopped by this ship and thought I would be sent to Malta or Italy. I prefer to die but not to be returned to Libya … it’s a prison.”

Some of those on board were willing to get off the ship, but had been prevented from doing so by others. Coast guard officials say that they are currently in the process of getting those who want to leave off the ship. So far, 14 people have disembarked. There are a number of women and children among the passengers.

Passengers are currently being attended to by human rights and medical experts. Julien Raikman of Doctors Without Borders (MSF), an NGO, says that Libyan authorities have allowed the group to treat those in need of urgent medical care as well as deliver food.

He urged a peaceful solution to the situation and suggested offering alternatives to the migrants: “We talked to people who have suffered torture on the migration route and it seems abnormal that the United Nations cannot propose an alternative for them.”

Take them back to Libya

A number of Europe-bound vessels carrying hundreds of passengers have been intercepted by Libya’s EU-backed coast guard of late. Migrants are taken back to Libya where they are screened by UN agencies and then taken to government-affiliated detention centers. The notoriously poor conditions at those camps have been harshly criticized by human rights groups.

European countries have been seeking a solution to keep migrants from coming to the continent via Libya — which has become a launching point for such journeys — but have failed to come to an agreement as to how to achieve that goal. Italy, which is often the destination of vessels sailing from Libya, has been especially vocal about the need to stop migration.

Thousands of people have drowned in the Mediterranean since the European migrant crisis began in 2015; more than 1,000 have drowned in its waters in the first six months of 2018 alone.

You can read this article as it originally appeared at Deutsche Welle here.

November 19, 2018 0

Hungary Demands EU Explain ‘Prepaid Bank Cards For Migrants’ Scheme

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By Dan Lyman

Hungarian officials want an explanation from the European Commission regarding a scheme to provide prepaid bank cards to thousands of migrants currently pushing their way into Europe.

Infowars Europe was one of the first English-language media outlets to report revelations emerging from the Balkans, where shopkeepers and law enforcement officers claimed that migrants amassing in Bosnia were using nameless bank cards embossed with MasterCard, UNHCR, and EU logos.

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Those assertions were later reinforced by Austrian intelligence officials in statements provided to Kronen Zeitung last week.

The Hungarian goverment has apparently taken notice of these reports and is now demanding answers, contending that the program may be facilitating funding for terrorism.

“The ruling Fidesz and Christian Democrat parties have called on the European Commission to explain the reasoning behind prepaid debit cards issued to migrants,” the ruling coalition announced via state media outlet About Hungary.

“Earlier this week, Lajos Kósa, head of parliament’s defence and law enforcement committee, cited recent reports surrounding tens of thousands of prepaid debit cards made available to migrants by the European Commission and the United Nations Refugee Agency UNHCR.”

Coalition spokesman István Hollik says, “the EC should explain the origins of the cards, the amounts deposited on them, and the reasons why the scheme was kept in secret.”

“The cards are said to be funded by moneys from the EU, the UN and US financier George Soros . . . raising the question whether member states have agreed to a scheme like that.”

In our original report, we detailed Soros’ likely ties to the scheme upon discovery of a 2017 MasterCard press release publicizing the launch of a partnership program with Soros called “Humanity Ventures,” which aimed to “catalyze and accelerate economic and social development for vulnerable communities around the world, especially refugees and migrants.”

“George Soros announced that he is earmarking up to $500 million for private investments that will improve capacity to address the challenges that migrants, including refugees, and their host communities face around the world. Humanity Ventures would be part of that initiative,” Mastercard revealed in the release.

November 14, 2018 0

UN Migration Pact encourages millions of migrants to come and claim benefits – German AfD leader

By VOICE OF EUROPE 13 November 2018

The co-leader of opposition party Alternative for Germany (AfD) has lashed out at the German government and their stance on the UN Global Compact on Migration. He said his party he urges the government not to sign the document as it isn’t in the interest of the German people.

“If this Global Compact is just a political declaration, which has no consequences for the national parliaments and the law then why are we seeing resistance from everywhere on the rise against it, all of a sudden?” Gauland says. According to the AfD leader, “The interests of the receiving society are left completely unmentioned” and “the document will supersede national law”. “We pledge to fulfil the goals mentioned in the global pact and obligations in accordance to our vision and our guiding principles”, it is so written there. The wording alone “we pledge” appears dozens of times in the paper, Gauland continues. He adds that the document can lead to migrants being encouraged to come and claim benefits as a human right. “For example we pledge, that all migrants notwithstanding their migration status are able to exercise their human rights through a safe entry to standard benefits. Less sensitive people call this migration into the social benefits systems. “So the Federal Government wants to pledge itself to this. But of course non-binding. Non-binding obligations. Dear ladies and gentlemen, wooden steal. Dear ladies and gentlemen on the government bench: How stupid do you actually think we all are and your voters out there?” Later Gauland says the migration pact will undermine sovereignty and lead to a renewed influx of migrants: “The milestone this pact talks about lies in the way of the betrayal of sovereignty of our nation. Millions of people from crisis regions are encouraged to hit the trail. “Left dreamers and globalist elites want to secretly transform our country from a national state into a settlement region. https://youtu.be/5f2hFLp1tmU

November 13, 2018 0