Prime Minister Viktor Orban responded to European People’s Party (EPP) group leader Manfred Weber on Friday, saying, "The situation is clear, dear Manfred: you want to alter the current legal status in order to create a mechanism that you immediately turn against Hungary and Poland."

The prime minister stated that the European mainstream media excludes, ignores and suppresses communication of ideas that do not conform with the worldview they perpetuate day in and day out.

„They [mainstream media] will remain silent about this, too. That s nothing new, however, to us Central Europeans. In fact, this is why we invented samizdat. The clandestine press. Write, print, read, share! Sam izdat: about us, for us,” explained Viktor Orban.

The premier recalled that Manfred Weber had claimed in an online press event on 3 December, to correspondents accredited to Germany that the notorious rule of law mechanism was not created expressly to spite Hungary and Poland. Mr Weber went further adding that the goal was to depoliticise rule of law issues and remove them from party political debates.

„The truth, however, is completely the opposite,” stated Mr Orban, backing his viewpoint by reiterating the following statements of European politicians.

He quoted from among the ranks of the European Commission:  Vera Jourova who claimed,  „Orban is building a sick democracy”; Didier Reynders, who stated, „there are rule of law crises in some Member States, particularly in Hungary and Poland”; Frans Timmermans, who articulated, „Free press in Hungary is virtually non-existent”; and Helena Dalli, who said, „this mechanism is a means for making Member States fall in line.”

Viktor Orban also recalled the words of EP Vice President Katarina Barley, „Hungary and Poland must be starved out”; and then quoted the statement from liberal politician Guy Verhofstadt, „There is no need to prove whether the functioning of Hungary and Poland is in line with the system that s about to be established. This has already been proven. It [the mechanism] must be put into action immediately.”

The prime minister also quoted German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, who said, „Finally, we will have a mechanism that is going to be very painful for Hungary and Poland.”

Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn was also quoted, „This cancerous tumor must be removed. Hungary is a dictatorship like Belarus.”

Against this backdrop the prime minister addressed Manfred Weber, „You want to alter the the current legal status in order to create a mechanism that you immediately turn against Hungary and Poland.”

In the light of the statements by the European Commission, the European Parliament and various national government politicians, „you can no longer deny this. Now, you want us Hungarians to accept this,” he remarked.

Mr Orban concluded his reply to the leader of the EPP group stating that the Germans have asked for quite a lot from the Hungarians throughout history, „… but you are the first ones to consider us Panscher [rubes]. That, we are not.”