Hungary's brutal treatment of refugees is reminiscent of the Nazis, says chancellor of Austria - the country where Hitler was born

  • Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann compared Hungary's handling of refugees to deportation of Jews to concentration camps
  • He said treatment reminded him of 'darkest chapter' of Europe's history
  • Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has dismissed comments as 'utterly unworthy of a 21st century European leader' 
  • Faymann's comments referred to the way refugees were misled in thinking they were on their way to Austria earlier this month  

By Emily Chan For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

Austria's Chancellor has likened Hungary's handling of the refugee crisis to the Nazi persecution of Jews during the Holocaust in an astonishing attack.

Werner Faymann suggested that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's treatment of the refugees was similar to the deportation of Jews to Auschwitz.

Hungary has erected an 110-mile long barbed wire fence along its border with Serbia in an attempt to keep out the thousands of refugees that are trying to make their way into Europe. 

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Austria's Chancellor has likened Hungary's handling of the refugee crisis to the Nazi persecution of Jews

Austria's Chancellor has likened Hungary's handling of the refugee crisis to the Nazi persecution of Jews

Hungary has erected an 110-mile long barbed wire fence along its border with Serbia to keep out migrants

Hungary has erected an 110-mile long barbed wire fence along its border with Serbia to keep out migrants

Faymann said in an interview with German news magazine Der Spiegl: 'Sticking refugees in trains and sending them somewhere completely different to where they think they're going reminds us of the darkest chapter of our continent's history.'

The comment was a thinly-veiled allusion to the way thousands of Hungarian Jews were transported to Auschwitz in 1944. 

However, the Hungarian Prime Minister retaliated by dismissing Faymann's comments as 'utterly unworthy of a 21st century European leader'. 

Hungarian foreign minister Peter Szijjarto added that the Austrian chancellor had been pursuing a 'campaign of lies' against Hungary for weeks.  

Earlier this month, hundreds of migrants boarded a train in Budapest in the belief that they were heading to Austria.

About 5,100 migrants had entered Austria from Hungary by Saturday evening with more expected in the night 

About 5,100 migrants had entered Austria from Hungary by Saturday evening with more expected in the night 

More than 170,000 migrants have entered Hungary illegally so far this year, with most crossing the border around the Roszke area

More than 170,000 migrants have entered Hungary illegally so far this year, with most crossing the border around the Roszke area

Faymann has criticised Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's draconian approach towards the refugees

Faymann has criticised Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's draconian approach towards the refugees

However, the train was stopped 22 miles west of the capital in the town of Bicske, where Hungary has a camp for asylum seekers.

Orban has taken a tough stance during the crisis and told German newspaper Bild that refugees should be sent back once Hungary closes its borders on 15 Sept.

He said: 'These migrants are not coming to us from war zones but rather from camps in countries neighbouring Syria like Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey. They were safe there.'

But Faymann has criticised his draconian approach towards the refugees.

He said in an interview due to be published in the Sunday edition of Austrian newspaper Oesterreich: 'It is unacceptable that refugees arrive from Hungary afraid, panicked, hungry and sometimes traumatised.'

Some 5,100 migrants had entered Austria from Hungary on Saturday by the early evening and more were expected before the end of the day, a police spokesman said. 

More than 170,000 migrants have entered Hungary illegally so far this year, with most crossing the border around the Roszke area. 

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