Tony Abbott Says Europe Is Facing "A Peaceful Invasion" Of Asylum Seekers

In light of record numbers of people seeking asylum in Europe, Tony Abbott has suggested European leaders should adopt harsher border protection policies to avoid a loss of control.

The former Australian prime minister has described the situation of people entering Europe as "a peaceful invasion" and is worried that European countries are at risk of losing their character. Abbott referred to the asylum seekers and refugees as "would-be economic migrants".

Abbott took the liberty of expressing these views during a gathering of European parliamentary members in Prague. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has made similar comments, maintaining strong border security as the right response to the mounting migration crisis.

Abbott asked, "why shouldn't each country keep the final say over who can enter?" adding, "after all, a country or a continent that can't control who enters its territory will eventually lose control of its future".

According to the Guardian, both politicians have attempted to justify harsh border security policies - the very policies which have left more than 1,000 people stranded in indefinite offshore detention.

These comments come at a rather awkward time, given that scrutiny of Australia's offshore detention system may well be on the agenda for the upcoming United Nations refugee talks summit.

Labor frontbencher Andrew Leigh has said, "there is an awful lot that needs fixing up at home before Malcolm Turnbull and Peter Dutton go telling another countries how to run their refugee systems."

"We've just had two major reports come down recently criticising the Abbott, Turnbull government's management of offshore detention centres," he added.

Photo: Facebook - Tony Abbott