Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban changed the constitution earlier this year to ban the country’s Pride parade, in what critics say was an attempt to ramp up his culture war and reverse his fading political fortunes. It hasn’t worked.

Thousands of people from Hungary and around Europe – including government officials, lawmakers and diplomats – have signaled on social media that they’ll be in Budapest on Saturday for the annual gathering celebrating LGBTQ identity. They’ll be flouting a police ban, transforming the event into an act of defiance against Orban’s attempt to scapegoat minorities and silence dissent.

The capital’s opposition mayor, Gergely Karacsony, who’s co-organizing the event, expects the 30th Pride parade to be the biggest yet. It will be held under the broader theme of celebrating freedom, in a country where democratic backsliding after 15 years of increasingly authoritarian rule has led to frequent clashes with the European Union.

Speaking on state radio on Friday, Orban said organizers and participants will face legal consequences – most likely fines – but police won’t use force to break up the march. France, Germany and the UK were among 33 foreign missions that had signed a joint statement in support of the right to hold Pride in Budapest.

“In Europe, marching for your rights is a fundamental freedom,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement late Wednesday, calling on Hungarian authorities to allow people to take part “without fear of any criminal or administrative sanctions.”

The parade will begin in front of City Hall at 2 p.m. in Budapest and then loop around the city, crossing the Danube on Liberty Bridge before settling on the bank of the river. Live music and a drag show will follow speeches, according to the program.

Potential fines

Police barred the event citing legislation Orban’s lawmakers approved in April, which cast LGBTQ-themed public events as threats to children. A constitutional amendment allowed authorities to ban Pride even at the cost of restricting freedom of assembly.

After rejecting a petition for the parade, police permitted a demonstration by a far-right political party along the same route. In a statement, authorities said the safety of Pride participants would be in the hands of organizers, whose criminal responsibility will be the subject of a probe.

Participants face potential fines ranging from 6,500 forint (€15) to as much as 200,000 forint, according to human rights group the Hungarian Helsinki Committee. It said people can’t be legally fired from their job for attending the event. In Hungary, state employees have lost their jobs for as little as social media posts questioning the government.

Hungary’s supreme court has been skeptical of overzealous police prohibitions on public gatherings. On Friday, justices annulled for a second time a ban against a march for LGBTQ equality, a legally separate event that was set to take place at the same time as Pride on Saturday.

In its opinion, the court known as the Kuria said authorities — who had sought to equate the gathering with Pride – failed to credibly support their decision, including how the marching for equal rights could harm children’s development.

On a political level, Orban’s likely failure to stop Pride from going ahead risks making him look weak at a time when his party is already trailing in polls. A heavy-handed police response, on the other hand, could further erode his support.

Already there are cracks within Orban’s Fidesz party, which resulted in the postponing of a parliamentary vote earlier this month that sought to muzzle independent civil society and media by threatening to cut their funding.

One notable absentee from the parade will be Peter Magyar, a former regime insider whose Tisza party has overtaken Orban’s Fidesz in polls ahead of elections likely to be held next April. Tisza widened its lead to 15 points over Fidesz, according to a Median poll published on June 18, up from nine points in March.

Magyar has focused his messaging on a cost-of-living crisis and allegations of widespread corruption among the ruling elite. He’s called the banning of Pride a “political trap” aimed at deflecting voters’ attention and turning conservatives against his surging movement.

Though Magyar isn’t planning to attend the Pride event, he urged the government to stop inciting hatred and advocating for a country that accepts people “without regard to the family they come from, what they believe in or who they love” in a post on Facebook on Saturday.

“The failed regime’s aim is to turn Hungarians against Hungarians, to sow fear and divide us,” Magyar wrote.

Tisza already holds a double-digit lead in the capital and other big cities, which tend to be more liberal and where progressive issues resonate. Its challenge now is to win over voters in conservative townships where Fidesz still holds sway. The latest Median poll showed Tisza was now head-to-head with Fidesz in these areas as well.

Thousands of people are set to defy a government ban by participating in the Pride march in Budapest, Hungary’s capital, on June 28.

Right-wing populist Viktor Orban’s government and the Budapest police forbid the annual event under a new law that prohibits the exposure of young people to non-heterosexual lifestyles.

But Budapest mayor Gergely Karacsony, an opposition leader, has backed the event by co-organizing it with the city hall to declare it a municipal event, which won’t require police approval.

Pride marches, a regular annual event in many Western cities, are occasions to highlight the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people.

Orban’s initiatives have been protested at home. The European Union and human rights groups have also condemned his actions.

“We’re not just standing up for ourselves… If this law isn’t overturned, eastern Europe could face a wave of similar measures,” said Viktoria Radvanyi, an organizer of the march.

But on June 27, Orban warned the participants to be aware of “legal consequences”. He said that the police would not “break up” the march.

Attendees can face fines of up to $580, while organizers can be imprisoned for up to a year. Authorities can use facial recognition technology to identify the participants.

Karacsony, however, has insisted that participants would not face any reprisals.

“The police have only one task tomorrow, and it is a serious one: to ensure the safety of Hungarian and European citizens attending the event,” he said on June 27 during a briefing with visiting EU equalities commissioner Hadja Lahbib.

Bence Tuzson, the Hungarian justice minister, threatened Karacsony with a one-year prison sentence for helping to organize the event.

The minister has also warned foreign embassies in Budapest to inform them of the ban on the Pride march.

Some 35,000 people are expected to participate in the 30th edition of the Budapest Pride March. It is set to begin at 2:00 p.m. CET near Budapest’s city hall.

Scores of European lawmakers and ministers from several EU countries are expected to attend the event to show solidarity with the participants.

With reporting by the AFP and DPA

Tens of thousands to march in Hungarian capital in defiance of Pride ban

Tens of thousands to march in Hungarian capital in defiance of Pride ban

Tens of thousands of LGBTQ+ rights supporters are expected to converge on Budapest this Saturday, poised to defy a police ban on their annual Pride march.

The event has become a potent symbol of the escalating struggle between Hungary’s nationalist government and its civil society, highlighting a decade of tightening restrictions on fundamental freedoms.

Under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Hungary has systematically curtailed the rights of its LGBTQ+ community.

A controversial law passed in March further empowered authorities to ban Pride events, ostensibly to “protect children” – a justification widely seen by critics as a pretext for a broader assault on democratic liberties.

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The crackdown is unfolding ahead of a crucial general election next year, where Mr Orban faces a formidable opposition challenge.

Opponents view the government’s actions against the LGBTQ+ community as part of a wider erosion of democratic norms, with the Pride march serving as a focal point for resistance.

The Budapest Pride Parade in 2022 (AP)

Organisers anticipate a massive turnout, with participants travelling from 30 different countries to show solidarity.

Among the attendees expected are European Commissioner for Equality Hadja Lahbib and approximately 70 members of the European Parliament.

More than 30 embassies have expressed support for the march and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on Hungarian authorities to let the parade go ahead.

Seventy Hungarian civil society groups, including the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, Transparency International Hungary and the Hungarian Helsinki Commission, published an open letter on Friday in support of the march, saying the law that led to the police ban “serves to intimidate the entire society”.

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Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony tried to circumvent the law by organising the march as a municipal event, which he said does not need a permit. Police however banned the event, arguing that it fell under the scope of the child protection law.

Hungarians march in downtown Budapest to protest against the law banning LGBTQ+ Pride events and the populist government’s restriction on assembly rights (AP)

Mr Orbán, whose government promotes a Christian-conservative agenda, provided some clues on Friday about what participants can expect when he warned of “legal consequences” for organising and attending the march.

Earlier this week Justice Minister Bence Tuzson warned in a letter sent to some foreign embassies in Budapest that organising a prohibited event is punishable by one year in jail, while attending counts as a misdemeanour.

The law that allows for the ban of Pride lets police impose fines and use facial recognition cameras to identify people who attend.

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When asked about the threat of a one-year jail term, Mr Karacsony said at a press briefing on Friday that such a sentence would only boost his popularity.

“But I cannot take it seriously,” he said.

Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orbán (AP)

Making the march a key topic of political discourse has allowed the Orbán government to take the initiative back from the opposition and mobilise its voter base, said Zoltan Novak, an analyst at the Centre for Fair Political Analysis think tank.

“In the past 15 years, Fidesz decided what topics dominated the political world,” he said, noting that this has become more difficult as Mr Orbán’s party has faced an increasing challenge from centre-right opposition leader Peter Magyar’s Tisza party, which has a 15-point lead over Mr Orbán’s Fidesz in a recent poll.

Tisza, which has been avoiding taking a strong position on gay rights issues, did not specify in response to questions whether it believed the Pride march was lawful, but said those attending deserved the state’s protection.

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“Peter Magyar has called on the Hungarian authorities and police to protect the Hungarian people this Saturday, and on other days as well, even if it means standing up against the arbitrariness of power,” its press office said. Mr Magyar himself would not attend.

Hungary Pride goes ahead, defying Orban threat of ‘legal consequences’

26 minutes ago Share Save Nick Thorpe BBC Budapest Correspondent Stuart Lau BBC News Share Save

Reuters

Tens of thousands have gathered for the Budapest Pride march, defying Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s legal threats against LGBTQ rights activists. Organisers of the march hope for a record attendance, despite mounting pressure from nationalist conservative politicians and police to stop any display of pro-LGBTQ material. The police issued a ban in line with a new “child protection” law restricting gatherings considered to be promoting homosexuality. One woman said she was attending because she wants a country of “diversity” for her children. Orban downplayed the possibility of violent clashes between police and participants, but warned of potential legal repercussions for attendees.

Reuters Tens of thousands defy Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban to attend Saturday’s Pride march

“Of course, the police could break up such events, because they have the authority to do so, but Hungary is a civilised country, a civic society. We don’t hurt each other,” he told state radio on Friday. “There will be legal consequences, but it cannot reach the level of physical abuse.” Attendees risk a fine of up to €500 (£427; $586), with police empowered to use facial recognition technology to identify them. Organisers could face a one-year prison sentence. Luca, 34, who is planning to attend with her mother Enikö, said they want a country of “diversity” which she said they don’t currently have. “We have a law that bans people who are different from others to gather. This is why we are here. Because it’s hurting our rights. That’s why we came.” She told the BBC she is worried about her four-year-old daughter’s future living “in a country where she can’t love anyone she wants to”. Barnabás said he was attending to “express my solidarity with the LGBTQ community… because I know what it feels like not being seen and to be treated like an outcast, which obviously everyone here is not”. Not part of the community himself, the 22-year-old said he comes from the countryside, where people “are more likely to be xenophobic and homophobic”. EU equalities commissioner Hadja Lahbib, a former Belgian foreign minister, is in Budapest and expected to join the march. On Friday, she posted a picture showing her standing with the liberal Budapest mayor Gergely Karacsony in front of a rainbow flag symbolising gay rights. The Pride march “will be a powerful symbol of the strength of the civil society”, she wrote on X.

Reuters A pro-LGBT placard depicting Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban

Dozens of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) were also expected to be in attendance. Finnish MEP Li Andersson said it was important for her and her European colleagues to be there to show solidarity with both Hungary’s LGBTQI community and civil society. “It’s important to emphasise that the reason why we are here is not only Pride – this is about the fundamental rights of all of us.” She added that she thinks Orban is using arguments on family values as a pretext to ban the march. “[It’s] a march that is fundamentally about equality and about equal rights for anyone – for everybody, about the right to love and live with whoever you choose. “And I think that’s a core value that any free and democratic society should respect.”

Reuters People gathered to march from across the country – and Europe – in solidarity with Hungary’s Pride

Since Orban’s return to power in 2010, the government has been steadily rolling back LGBTQ rights (Peter Kohalmi) (Peter Kohalmi/AFP/AFP)

With rainbow flags flying high, tens of thousands of people began marching Saturday for the Budapest Pride parade, defying a government ban that marks a major pushback against LGBTQ rights in the European Union.

Organisers expect a record turnout of more than 35,000 people for the 30th edition of the Pride march in the Hungarian capital, despite a police ban imposed by Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s nationalist government.

“Many, many tens of thousands” are participating, organisers said on social media after the march started, as AFP journalists saw the festive crowd filling squares and streets along the route.

“I am proud to be gay… and I am very scared that the government wants to bring us down. I am very surprised that there are so many people, I want to cry,” a 66-year-old participant, who gave only his first name, Zoltan, told AFP.

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Orban’s governing coalition amended laws and the constitution this year to prohibit the annual celebration, justifying his years-long clampdown on LGBTQ rights on “child protection” grounds.

Orban said Friday that while police would not “break up” the Pride march, those who took part should be aware of “legal consequences”.

– Newly installed cameras –

Parade organisers risk up to a year in prison, and attendees can face fines up to 500 euros ($590).

The latest legal changes also empower the authorities to use facial-recognition technology to identify those who take part, and newly installed cameras have appeared on lamp posts along the parade route.

But participants were defiant as the march began chaotically under a scorching sun.

Marchers repeatedly had to pause to wait for police to stop traffic, according to AFP journalists at the scene.

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Akos Horvath, an 18-year-old student who came to Budapest from a city in southern Hungary, said it was “of symbolic importance to come”.

“It’s not just about representing gay people, but about standing up for the rights of the Hungarian people,” he told AFP on his way to the march.

Dozens of European lawmakers also attended in defiance of the ban.

“Freedom and love can’t be banned,” read one huge poster put up near city hall, the gathering point for the march.

Earlier this week, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen called on the Hungarian authorities to reverse the ban, while EU equalities commissioner Hadja Lahbib travelled to Hungary and spoke in support of the parade on Friday.

Thirty-three nations, including most EU countries, have also released a statement in support of the march.

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At a press conference Saturday, several French MEPs called on the EU to take tougher measures against Orban’s government over the crackdown on civil rights and other rule of law issues.

Budapest’s opposition mayor Gergely Karacsony has insisted that no attendee should face any reprisals as the march is a municipal event that does not require police approval.

Some people also gathered along the route to protest against LGBTQ rights at the urging of far-right groups, including by putting up a wooden cross adorned with protest messages.

A woman who gave only her first name, Katalin, told AFP she agreed with the ban though she hoped there would be no clashes.

“Disgusting… it’s become a fad to show off ourselves,” she said.

– ‘Polarising society’ –

Since Orban’s return to power in 2010, the country of 9.6 million people has been steadily rolling back LGBTQ rights.

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But it is the first to ban a Pride march, with Orban saying he has been emboldened by the anti-diversity push by US President Donald Trump.

“Orban is employing a tried-and-tested recipe ahead of next year’s election by generating a conflict,” political analyst Daniel Mikecz told AFP, saying that Orban was “polarising society”.

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