TASZ said the law would allow, for instance, that during a “crisis situation resulting from mass immigration” police to enter private homes without a permit if it is assumed that illegal migrants are staying there. This means police could break into the home of any Hungarian who gives shelter to migrants, it said.

The proposal includes the possibility of a prison sentence for those who enter Hungary through the razorwire border fence, damage the fence or hinder its construction.

All migrants could then be classified as criminals, with the possibility of expelling them from the country - even at the cost of tearing families apart, TASZ said. According to TASZ, if the amendments are approved, the army will have recourse to use force not only to prevent violent acts but also in any action seeking to manage masses of migrants.

The law will allow soldiers use of equipment which can cause bodily harm such as rubber bullets, nets, pyrotechnical equipment and tear gas, it added.

A demonstration was held in Budapest against the planned amendments. Zsuzsanna Zsohár, an activist of the organising Migration Aid, called on the government to stop its “window-dressing measures and the fear mongering” in connection with the migrant crisis.

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MTI photo: Bruzák Noémi