Terrorism Fears Dampen Holiday Spirit at Europe’s Christmas Markets

Budapest: Fear of terrorist attacks is depriving families of the joy traditionally associated with Christmas markets in major European cities, the prime minister’s chief security adviser, Gy¶rgy Bakondi, said on Wednesday on M1, after a man threatened visitors with a knife at the Weimar Christmas market over the weekend.

According to About Hungary, Bakondi recalled that since the outbreak of the migration crisis in 2015, Europe has seen a rising number of violent incidents – shootings, bombings, stabbings, and vehicle attacks – many of them linked directly to Christmas markets, churches, or other crowded public spaces. He stated that these incidents are connected to the misguided and failed handling of illegal migration.

Bakondi noted that Western European security services have been forced to introduce extensive physical barriers to prevent vehicle-based attacks, while securing Christmas markets now imposes ‘enormous costs’ on major cities. He warned that what were once isolated incidents have now become systemic. In areas with large numbers of illegal migrants, the risk is significantly higher as perpetrators can blend into crowds or local Muslim communities.

These developments, Bakondi said, are leading more Western European politicians to acknowledge that ‘Hungary was right’ in 2015 when it decided to admit only those who are fully vetted, officially approved, and genuinely eligible for political asylum. Increasingly, countries are moving asylum processing outside the EU – a practice Hungary introduced a decade ago.

Despite the positive results felt by the Hungarian population, Bakondi criticized the EU for continuing to punish Hungary with infringement procedures instead of recognizing or adopting these measures. He noted that the European Parliament recently debated the situation of the rule of law in Hungary for the 54th time and highlighted perceived inconsistencies in how the EU addresses rule of law issues within its own borders.

Speaking on Kossuth Radio, Bakondi highlighted that nearly one million illegal migrants have been arriving in Europe annually, concentrating in high-welfare countries. He argued that a large Muslim population has settled in these states, some of whom ‘do not accept the general rules, laws, or the authority of the courts,’ creating environments in which terrorists can hide.

He added that with the collapse of the Islamic State’s logistical network, attacks have shifted from coordinated, armed operations to lone-wolf stabbings and vehicle assaults, which now constitute the most typical methods.