Dutch Ambassador to Budapest Likens Hungarian Government to the Islamic State

Many years ago, back before 9-11 (possibly after the first WTC bombing), Congress started formulating anti-“terrorism” legislation. At the time certain conservatives expressed their concern that if the term “terrorism” entered the law books, then sooner or later the government would designate its political enemies as “terrorists” and prosecute them under the new statutes.

It seemed farfetched at the time, but as those early efforts eventually metastasized into the Patriot Act and the Department of Homeland Security, the Cassandras were proven right.

I was reminded of all this because of the recent crisis in Dutch-Hungarian diplomatic relations. Gajus Scheltema is the soon-to-be-former Dutch ambassador to Hungary. Just before his tenure in Budapest was scheduled to end, he gave an interview to the news portal 168 Óra Online — described by our translator as “a well-funded liberal site, The New York Times of Hungary” — that the Hungarian government found deeply offensive.

The ambassador’s remarks are referenced in the articles below. Many thanks to CrossWare for translating the relevant text from the interview:

Q:   So far there is not any danger [as in]: terror attacks in many countries of the EU; the most recent one in Barcelona where a fanatic was running over people.
A:   A terror attack with a car can happen anywhere; most of them are in the Middle East. Then should we bomb the Middle East now? Here is a group [the Islamic State] whose members are losers under globalization, and they turned to extremism and fanatical religiosity because it gives them a sense of security. They create enemies using the same principles as the Hungarian government.
 

Below are two articles from The Hungary Journal about all the brouhaha. The first article gives a brief report about what happened:

Unprecedented spat with the Dutch ambassador — Hungary Journal

The Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Peter Szijjarto rejected “in the strongest possible terms” the “outrageous” remarks of the outgoing Dutch ambassador to Hungary.

The minister “especially rejected” that ambassador Gajus Scheltema equated the Hungarian government with terrorists regarding their motives or methods. “This is an accusation that nobody took the liberties to say, not even in 2015, which brought the most brutal debates”, he added. Szijjarto stressed that before his departure the Dutch ambassador is no longer welcome in the MFA, he won’t be received there on any level.

We are glad that the Dutch ambassador is going home, hopefully he does it as soon as possible. Nobody should take the liberties to say such things against Hungary and the Hungarian people

he said.

Scheltema told Hungarian weekly 168 Ora that Islamic extremists are creating enemies by the same principle the Hungarian government does. The outgoing ambassador heavily criticised the Hungarian government and spoke about the Dutch concerns regarding corruption in the country too.

It got worse after that: Hungary suspended top-level diplomatic relations with The Netherlands.

The follow-up article:

Hungary recalls its ambassador from the Netherlands — Hungary Journal

Following the remarks of the outgoing Dutch ambassador, Hungary recalls its ambassador from the Netherlands for an indefinite period of time, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Peter Szijjarto announced at a press conference on Friday morning.

The Dutch ambassador to Budapest made a statement which harms Hungary’s dignity and sovereignty, ignores and by far oversteps diplomatic traditions. It’s a rare event and its gravity calls for diplomatic steps

Peter Szijjarto said.

“The ambassadorial-level diplomatic relations between the two countries are suspended for an indefinite period of time”, the minister said, adding that on Monday the head of the Hungarian charge d’affaires is going to reject “in the strongest possible terms” the Dutch ambassador’s remarks and ask for an explanation at the Dutch foreign ministry. Szijjarto made it clear that the government wants to know if the Dutch ambassador was speaking in his personal capacity or had a “central mandate”. The minister stressed that a “closed-door” explanation won’t be enough.

Szijjarto added that if the Netherlands doesn’t apologise, the Hungarian government will make further political and diplomatic steps. “Hungary is not a punchbag”, he said, adding that “the policy of subservience might have been common in Hungary before, but now it’s not”.

If this is how the Dutch want to continue our bilateral relations, we will act accordingly

Szijjarto added.

As we previously reported, Peter Szijjarto on Thursday “most firmly rejected” recent, “outrageous” remarks by Gajus Scheltema, who is soon to leave his post in Budapest. In an interview given to Hungarian weekly 168 Ora the outgoing diplomat said that Islamic extremism “applies the same principles to create an enemy as the Hungarian government”.

At his press conference, Szijjarto rejected the “accusations of comparing terrorists and the Hungarian government as to their motivation or methods”. He added that the ambassador was no longer welcome “at any level of the foreign ministry”.

We are glad that the Dutch ambassador is leaving and he will hopefully do that soon. Nobody should be allowed to make such remarks against Hungary or the Hungarian people

the foreign minister added.

Following our article, Dutch politician Geert Wilders called the Dutch ambassador “an idiot”.

Mr. Wilders and the PVV also confronted Foreign Minister Bert Koenders with what Ambassador Scheltema said, posing questions to Mr. Koenders in the Dutch parliament:

Parliamentary questions by PVV members De Roon and Wilders to the Minister of Foreign Affairs concerning the disgusting remarks of the Dutch ambassador to Hungary:

1.   Are you aware of the disgusting remarks of the Dutch ambassador to Hungary?
2.   What right does the leaving ambassador have to reprimand the Hungarian government, who — unlike the Dutch government — take action against problems that destabilize society, such as mass immigration and Islamization. Was the ambassador speaking on behalf of the Dutch government?
3.   Do you also find it repulsive and despicable that this ambassador equates the policies of the Hungarian government with Islamic terrorists who kill innocent people with cars and bombs? If not, why not?
4.   Do you agree that this ambassador is in no position to represent our country abroad?
5.   Are you willing to offer an apology to the Hungarian government for the despicable statements of this deranged ambassador? If not, why not?
 

28 thoughts on “Dutch Ambassador to Budapest Likens Hungarian Government to the Islamic State

  1. Shameless, easily exposed sophistry remains the prerogative of tyrants. Who has the power to counter it effectively and remain safe? In the past anonymous wits, such as Blaise Pascal, would gamble a dabble or two at deriding it, and be successful, but there was no guarantee against discovery.

    Today anonymity seems only permitted a few, and that can be rescinded far too quickly if the allowed know what is good for them. As for those who have the audience, they too know what they can not say and stay in business.

    Bluntly, today is not the dawn of the Age of Reason. And shameless sophistry will only get worst.

    Come to think of it — when was the last time anyone with a large audience directed the charge of sophistry at the guilty parties? Hmmm?

  2. There is no sense of proportion anymore. If I go to church every week, “You’re just like ISIS!” If I’m not sure about certain EPA regulations, “Oh, so you think it is OK if they put cyanide in baby formula!” If I say, “Those antifa clowns sure are violent” then it’s “So you’re OK with the holocaust.” What the hell?

    • Proportion?

      ISIS is on a totally different planet. You don’t see Hungarians running around brainwashing kids to murder innocents in cold blood.

  3. Absolutely vile conduct from this so-called ambassador that should be in jail for hate speech.

    • Absolutely spot on. Geert Wilders was prosecuted for much less offensive speech. And, his comments were true, whereas the ambassador’s comments are fantastical hogwash!

  4. In the meantime the Dutch is one of the Western nations, – with the exception of the Swedes – sitting in neck deep in a lukewarm smelly brown liquid, – which with the exception of Geert Wilder – they still think is a healthy mudbath…

  5. Any chance he will get fired? – That’s the only response I would expect from a Western government; but Rutte will not do that, that’s almost certain.

  6. *Here is a group [the Islamic State] whose members are losers under globalization, and they turned to extremism and fanatical religiosity because it gives them a sense of security.*

    If this man is speaking sincerely, he reveals his meager understanding of the way this particular part of the world, the Islamic part, works. Fit for high office? He’s either ignorant or a liar. I suppose the first.

    • I am not buying the “ignorance” excuse any longer. He is a liar and wilfully smearing Hungary. He is an enemy of our civilization.

    • No one with any access to global news can fail to understand the hideous nature of ISIS, the sex slaves, beheadings, forced conversions, theft of property and the willingness to film and broadcast such crimes to gain support.

      How does maintaining your own culture come anywhere near that?

      It doesn’t.

      This [… ugly personage] is a prime example of how extreme the EU establishment has become, that it sees a desire to peacefully preserve one’s own culture and a desire to force one’s beliefs on others at the point of a sword as one and the same.

      The EU and its apparatchiks like Scheltema is closer to ISIS than Hungary will ever be.

      The same types rule America, hence the free reign by terrorist groups like blm and antifa and the shut down of rightwing sites but not leftwing ones.

      President Trump is waging an uphill battle 8 months after being in office, he’s making headway but the swamp is still deep.

      Even with this story, most outlets are calling it a criticism of Hungary when it’s outright slander.

  7. I can’t believe that it was all Scheltema’s doing. At such a level an attack of this kind is purposely carried out, after having contrived it, discussed it, planned it. All the dots are connecting to the ongoing row between Hungary and EU, and in particular between Mr Orbàn and Mr Timmermans about the immigration policy of the EU and the allocation of migrant quotas.

  8. New formula of Diplomacy.
    National Diplomats as an acting agents for Soros and Transnational Corp…
    ps. I/m wondering why Trump wont put to the end ,scam with this fraudster schmuck ?

  9. I wish I was ethnically Hungarian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, or Russian. My ancestral country has disgraced itself and prostituted its honor while groveling at the feet of the Globalist Satanists.

  10. Good for Hungary. It is time those of us who stand against encroaching Islam and globalism do what we can where we can. It is time we also fight back against our friends and family members who make deriding comments (i.e., lumping those on the right with Nazis, saying those who recognize Islam as a severe threat are racists, etc.). Personally, I hold no public sway, but if I am at dinner and someone tries to shame me for not being a globalist shill, I will calmly say something like, “I am sure you would rather not be seen in public with a racist (or islamophobe, or whatever). Call me when you see me for who I am rather than what the MSM tell you I am.” And I will walk out

    This sounds a bit dramatic, but the people in our lives who have bought into the hysteria need to learn the consequences of mass labeling and political correct politics to the point of suicide. They need to understand the dangerous road they are embarking on.

  11. Scheltema ought never to have been assigned as an ambassador to begin with. But then most of these left-wing politicians in The Netherlands, also common throughout Europe, are unqualified nincompoops and I wouldn’t even hire them as toilet cleaners for my business.

    • (I am not degrading toilet cleaners – they are underpaid and I value them 1000x more than most sorts of European politicians.)

  12. The saddest thing about the outgoing Dutch ambassador’s remarks is that he attributes ISIS and Islamic barbarism to …being losers in the globalization process. Puh-lease! It is entirely possible he believes this too. What motivated the Islamic enslavers operating off the Barbary Coast around 1800? Were they just losers in the Industrial Revolution?

    Geert Wilders rightly called him an idiot. And those of us outside have a fresh perspective on what a difficult battle Wilders has in injecting some common sense into the Netherlands.

  13. In Holland one can get assassinated for criticising Islam – in the style of Pim Fortuyn or Theo van Gogh. In Hungary it’s much less likely to happen… conclusion: Holland is a lot more like Isis than Hungary?

  14. Gajus Scheltema was ambassador to Pakistan before he was ambassador to Hungary. He knows better than to say what he said.

    I recall fellow 7th and 8th graders in the late 1950s and early 1960s who read The Diary of Anne Frank and asked how could such a horrible time have happened?

    Gajus Scheltema is only one of hundreds of people of power and prominance who may be living examples of how such things happen. One has only to decline to know that which can be plainly be seen.

  15. I am sure that this gajus Scheltema is one of those alcoholics of the Netherlands who cannot even solve a differential equation or explain in details the socioeconomic results of mixing up various uneducated, mentally unstable immigrants from cultures that have no idea about their new destinations.

    He and his ancestors have prospered from colonizing the underdeveloped nations and abusing their poor and keeping the young Holland people unemployed by using cheap migrant labor.

    I would require those in international politics to be taken into a facility, where they go through rigorous mental and physical examinations while restricting drug, alcohol, cigarettes, expensive food. Also, politicians ought to have an income equal to the lowest paid citizen of their country while restricting them to use their personal wealth during their service to the nation. In the case of the European Union, they should have lowest wage paid to a EU citizen.

    Anyone with abundant wealth will not be against immigration, since they can profit from it……

    He may be a homosexual with terrorist links or a person with pedophilia and he cannot clearly think.

    These kinds of people have no idea about how hard an average Hungarian has to work to put food on the family’s table and educate the children. Hungary can’t afford to take care of immigrants. Hungary has not colonized the underdeveloped nations and did not rob and brutally massacred people for money as the Dutch from the Nederland has done in their history. Of course, it is very convenient for an alcoholic to blame others instead of admitting their guilt. Can anyone recall the soldiers of the Nederland who has been watching the killings in the Iraq, Afghanistan and Syrian war? Is anyone aware that the large monopolies of Nederland will directly benefit from the ongoing wars?

    Wake up Nederland, use some self-critics and try to wash away the bloody past of your history without accusing an innocent nation that is struggling to bring it people’s standards of living to EU level. Hungary is not a racist country because we had never had slaves and we do not have a culture that shows any interaction with those folks from the Middle East or Africa….We are an open society that wants to keep living as our ancestors and we do not want to be colonized by the EU and turned into a ghetto.
    God Bless You All and please think for a moment…….

    Give all citizens of the EU equal rights, benefits and access to vital information and fair employment according to their education and NOT THE EXPERIENCE they may have encountered from their past corrupt ways of life……and personal connections….

    • We Polish are always with you.We have similar contemporary and historical experiences.We know what “west” is about..To hell with them !
      Regards.

        • Not. Some criticism are needed for the west. You think the current westerners should not be criticized?

          • Criticism is one thing, condemnation and plain hate something else.
            There are a lot of brave people in all western countries who speak out and act for their cause (our common cause).
            Be it in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, France or Italy. Also in Australia, Canada and the US.
            Some here tend to forget this from time to time.
            What these people need is support, not condemnation – to hell with that.

            If I want to I could also find stupid fans of Islam and Multiculturalism in Hungary and Poland and any other country.

        • […] I do understand what max asserted. We did not ally ourselves with the Soviets for more that 60 years like the western powers have. Central and Eastern Europe was enslaved not liberated after world war two by the military alliance of the Soviets and the West, it was simply a partition of Europe, between good friends.

  16. I wonder, what drugs is Minheer Scheltema using currently? He’d better take something that would have a less devastating effect on his intelligence.

Comments are closed.