Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban
on Monday wrote on X that Italian Deputy Premier and Transport
Minister Matteo Salvini is "Europe's most courageous patriot"
who was "punished for stopping immigration".
"What is going on? Matteo Salvini is our hero", Orban wrote in
the wake of a Palermo prosecutor's request for a six-year jail
term for former interior minister Salvini for allegedly
kidnapping 147 migrants who he stopped from landing at Lampedusa
for several days as part of his controversial closed ports
policy for rescue ships five years ago.
Salvini responded to Orban's post on Monday: "thanks Viktor, see
you on Friday in the splendid city of Budapest", on the
sidelines of an EU informal meeting of transport ministers on
September 20.
"The trials and threats will not stop the wind of change and
freedom blowing in Europe", the League leader also wrote on
social media.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó also expressed
support for Salvini in a post on Facebook, writing that "the
campaign against politicians and governments fighting
immigration has gained new momentum".
He cited in particular what the FBI has described as an apparent
assassination attempt against Republican presidential candidate
Doland Trump on Sunday, the Palermo prosecutor's request on
Saturday for six years' imprisonment for Salvini and a European
Court of Justice 200-million-euro fine against Hungary for
breaking the EU's asylum laws.
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