For decades, Hungary has been through many moments of extreme nationalism brought about by far-right leaders. The origins of this constant desire for nationalist ideals started over 1000 years ago when warring occurred between Magyar and Slavic tribes. Since that time, Hungary has explained how they identify themselves as “a Magyar island in a Slav sea” (The Economist).
The cultural disconnect between Hungary and the surrounding countries creates a situation where there is a need to build up a nationalist agenda in order to preserve language, ideas, customs, and other meaningful aspects of original Hungarian culture. However, oftentimes when extreme Nationalism begins to make its way to the foreground once again, tensions rise all over the country, creating a divided and borderline discriminatory environment for all those who are not directly involved with Hungarian culture, solely in the name of protecting the country’s unique practices.
As there is an understandable aspect to this, for the most part this type of behavior has caused more harm than good to not only immigrants, but all members of Hungarian society. Back in 2018, the prime minister candidate Viktor Orban stated that “immigration brings crime and terrorism and ‘endangers our way of life, our culture, our customs and our Christian traditions’” (The Economist). Making these assumptions prevents allowing in new ideas and improvements that can be brought in by immigrants. In addition, immigrants are expected to “assimilate” into the nations culture rather than the country itself makings improvements to better the lives of all members of society, immigrants and citizens alike. “The word “inclusion” rather than “assimilation” is used in order to shift the focus onto the nation and the process of accepting minorities into a community, rather than on the actions of the minorities who are making the adaptation” (Wilson Center)
https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2018/04/05/why-is-hungary-turning-to-nationalism
https://www.wilsoncenter.org/publication/238-nationalism-and-the-problem-inclusion-hungary