Budapest Pride Parade Prohibition by Hungarian Authorities
Breaking News:
It's a stormy day for Hungary's LGBTQ+ community as the authorities have decided to can the planned Budapest Pride march on June 28th. This decision was announced on Thursday by Hungarian police, citing a new law that gives them the power to ban such events due to reasons of child protection.
This legislative move was made after Viktor Orban's right-wing Fidesz Party, which has a majority in Hungary's parliament, implemented the law in March. Budapest's liberal mayor, Gergely Karacsony, tried to bypass the law by declaring the Pride march as a municipal event, stating that no official authorization from authorities would be required.
But the Budapest metropolitan police – in a twist of events – stated that the new law does apply to the event organized by the mayor, thereby banning it. Karacsony countered this by stating on Facebook that the authorities are yet to be officially informed about the plans for the event, hence the ban seems pointless.
He maintains a strong stance, writing, "The Metropolitan Municipality will host the Budapest Pride Freedom Celebration on June 28, the day of Hungarian freedom, as a municipal event. Period." The event is expected to draw tens of thousands of attendees.
Prime Minister Orban, facing a challenging election in 2026, where a new surging opposition party poses a threat to his rule, has been known to hold a Christian conservative agenda. His government has been vocally against the LGBTQ+ community, using the "protection of children" as an argument to intensify its campaign against them. Orban had even stated back in February that Pride celebrations in Budapest should be scrapped this year.
This move by the Hungarian government, which seems to be aiming to please Fidesz's core voters mostly in the countryside, has sparked outrage from opposition parties and LGBTQ advocates within Hungary as well as from European Union member states. In fact, the European Commission has initiated legal action against Hungary for allegedly violating fundamental rights of the LGBTQ+ community.
In the midst of escalating war-and-conflicts between Hungarian authorities and its LGBTQ+ community, the policies-and-legislation implemented by the right-wing Fidesz Party have led to the ban of the Budapest Pride march, fueling political tensions and general news discussion within the country. Despite the ongoing disputes, Budapest's liberal mayor, Gergely Karacsony, has vowed to host the Pride freedom celebration on June 28, igniting a standoff with the Budapest metropolitan police and potentially sparking further controversy on the national and international political stage.
