"We do not want any refugees!": The Perception of Identity on Migration Crisis and the Migration Crisis Implications on Hungary

Abstract

This study aims to investigate to what extent identity plays a role in Hungary’s policy and stance towards the migration crisis which occurred in the middle of 2015. Since it started, Hungary has shown its strong stance against accepting refugees and the Hungarian government has been using anti-immigrant rhetorics and implementing strict migration policy, such as building fences, publishing anti-immigrant propagandas, and the recent one is the referendum on quota system proposed by the European Union as an option for a joint policy towards the migration crisis. The background will discuss the reasons why the refugees came to Europe and how the Hungarian government has reacted to that. Theoretical frameworks used in this study will help to be the base for analysis, which includes the discussions on migration, identity, drivers of fear and anxiety, and securitisation process to understand the case study of Hungary. The result, then, will point out the perception of migration and identity in Hungary, the implications of migration crisis towards Hungary’s political dynamics, and what fears Hungary has towards migration issue and specifically the refugees. I would argue that the dichotomy of “Us” and “Others plays a crucial role in understanding the perception of migration and identity in Hungary, but the fears are more related to other issues, such as economy, security, political, and sovereignty.