Seanad debates

Wednesday, 14 November 2018

10:30 am

Photo of Paul GavanPaul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

On Monday, I was in Hungary, visiting Government Ministers from the Fidesz party. They are a sister party of Fine Gael. They are both members of the European People's Party. We were there to talk about refugees and the detention of children. It was an interesting series of meetings with Government representatives. They cracked jokes about final solutions. A senior minister told us that when someone climbs over their fence, they let the dogs deal with that person. They proudly told us that they have replaced human rights policies with security policies and how their Christian heritage was under threat from foreigners even though in the 24 hours during which I was in Budapest, I did not see a single person of colour. This is who we are dealing with in the sister party of Fine Gael, Fidesz. We went to the transit zone where we saw children imprisoned in a 30 m by 40 m zone every day for 24 hours a day. They are never let out of that cage. When I remonstrated with the Government representative, all he would do was argue that the 14 year old was really 16 years of age and there was nothing to be seen there. I was lucky enough to speak to a human rights representative from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR, who told us of the damage to these children, the pressure and anxiety, and the fact that they are self-harming. I could see the cuts on the wrist of the 14 year old.

I have never seen such contempt for children in my life as I saw from the Fidesz politicians who came with us and were anxious for us to finish the visit. They stopped us from visiting any more. We could see other families and children trapped in similar cages for months at a time, not being able to leave that cage for one minute of one day. This is being implemented by the Fidesz party, which is detaining children daily, and they will say it with pride. I ask for an urgent debate on the issue. The detention of immigrant children is a crime against humanity and we need voices from our Government to condemn it in the strongest possible terms. I need to understand why Fine Gael is prepared to sit in the same party as fascists. That is what they are - fascists. This is a country that gassed 400,000 Jews in 1944. They talk with pride about what they are doing to keep foreigners out. I was never so disgusted with anything I have seen in my life. Children the same age as mine were hemmed in and imprisoned without a second of relief and Fine Gael is sitting with them in the European Parliament. It is a disgrace.

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