Hungary's 'border hunters' armed and ready to go
ADVERTISEMENTIf razor-wire, fences and warnings are not enough Hungary’s plan to train 3,000 ‘border hunters’ to bolster the 10,000 police and army that patrol the frontier is almost complete.
Zoltan Replyuk is a 25-year-old trainee border hunter:“I wanted to be a policeman since I was a child. The training is a fantastic opportunity. I can serve and defend my homeland.”
Hungary to detain all migrants in border camps, despite UN warnings of ‘terrible physical and psychological impa… https://t.co/VmfGiVUbKJ
— Thus Spake (@thus_spake) March 8, 2017
Aleksandra Koznan used to work in a related profession: “I was working in tourism. I wanted something different. I wanted a new challenges. This border hunters training comes at the right moment.”
Hungary’s “border hunters” are civilians who get 6 months training, a pistol, baton, handcuffs and pepper sprayhttps://t.co/sRhPZ5TJappic.twitter.com/BJN8X2jOZU
— Alex Leff (@alexleff) March 14, 2017
The new border hunters will begin work in May after a six-month training period.
Hungary’s southern border with Serbia and Croatia marks the external edge of the European Union’s Schengen zone of passport-free travel.
Hungary to arm new ‘border hunters’ after six-month crash course https://t.co/SEHfFVAX8Zpic.twitter.com/DVEG6pCma9
— Visegrad Insight (@VisegradInsight) March 10, 2017
Hundreds of thousands of migrants have entered Hungary via its southern frontier since 2015, though most have moved on westward.
Seeking asylum from violence and repression is not a crime; calling guards “border hunters” chilling #Hungaryhttps://t.co/b0aeWpJd2apic.twitter.com/dUCk6RCVLU
— Iain Levine (@iainlevine) March 7, 2017
The security clampdown has raised human rights concerns.