Hungary and Poland are standing firm on their migration policies as violent protests sweep through France and Italy.
What happened
Images of burning cars and buildings in France and Italy have sparked a heated debate on migration policies across Europe. Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar and Polish counterpart Donald Tusk have seized the moment to reaffirm their commitment to strict border controls and immigration policies.
Magyar stated that the violence in France vindicates Hungary's tough approach to migration, while Tusk warned that Poland will not repeat the mistakes of other European countries. Both leaders have faced sanctions from the European Union for their refusal to accept unchecked immigration.
According to Eurostat, France and Italy have significantly higher numbers of foreign-born residents, with 10 million and 7 million respectively, compared to Poland and Hungary, which have 1 million and less than 700,000 respectively.
Experts say that the unrest in France and Italy is being used as political ammunition by leaders pushing for tougher immigration policies. Sweden-based political scientist Daniel Schatz notes that images of chaos can carry more weight than policy speeches, and that leaders like Magyar and Tusk are delivering a blunt message to voters: 'This is what we intend to prevent.'
