The situation requires that further measures are made to protect the borders, he said, adding that a simple constitutional amendment is not sufficient and several proposals regarding everyday security measures are being prepared. He said he trusted that the parliamentary opposition would come to a responsible decision. If not, the government will turn to the people, he added.

A new “barbaric” form of terrorism whose aim is to weaken European civilisation must be confronted, Rogán said. Measures are needed that give the government genuine room for manoeuvre in protecting Hungarian citizens, he said, adding that the government currently has far fewer means at its disposal for fighting terrorism than other European countries.

He insisted that the dispute over the government’s proposed constitutional amendment was “nonsense”. In particular, opposition accusations that basic freedoms would be restricted lacked credibility. István Simicskó, the defence minister, said legal solutions were needed to handle the terrorist threat.

He said the idea of allowing soldiers “to sit in their barracks” during a terrorist attack on Hungary cannot be permitted. The job of the army is to guarantee security, he said, adding that well prepared forces that had international experience in fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan were on hand to do the same at home.

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MTI photo: Balogh Zoltán