Around 100,000 people took to the streets of Budapest on Saturday to participate in the largest LGBTQ+ Pride event in Hungary’s history, defying a government ban enforced by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s administration.
This marked the 30th annual Budapest Pride, a significant milestone that saw marchers brace potential police intervention and hefty fines to celebrate their rights and visibility.
Participants gathered at Budapest City Hall, marching through the city center and crossing Erzsébet Bridge over the Danube River, amid a show of defiance against recent legal restrictions on LGBTQ+ events.
Authorities had prepared for the event by diverting crowds from the planned route to separate them from a small far-right counterprotest group, allowing Hungary’s LGBTQ+ community and their supporters to dance to music while waving rainbow and anti-government flags.
The massive turnout was viewed as a considerable setback for Orbán, spotlighting his dwindling popularity amidst rising opposition ahead of upcoming elections.
As attendees marched, many expressed that the event transcended issues of sexual rights, underscoring broader concerns over the government’s tightening grip on democratic freedoms.
Orbán’s party has claimed that such Pride events infringe on the rights of children regarding their moral and spiritual development, recently enshrined in a constitutional amendment that takes precedence over other fundamental rights, including the right to peaceful assembly.
In March, the ruling party quickly passed legislation prohibiting the depiction or promotion of homosexuality to minors, explicitly targeting Budapest Pride.
Under this law, attendees of the event could face fines up to 200,000 Hungarian forints (approximately $586) if caught by authorities, who had placed additional surveillance cameras in the city center and were prepared to use facial recognition technology to identify participants.
Despite the ban, Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony stood in solidarity with event organizers, declaring that the march would take place as a separate municipal event, circumventing the need for police approval.
However, government officials remained adamant that the march’s organization and participation would still constitute a legal infraction.
In a stern warning, Hungary’s justice minister stated that anyone who encouraged others to participate in or organized the Pride event could face up to one year in prison.
Alongside local participants, over 70 members of the European Parliament and various officials from other European countries joined the march, reflecting a wave of support for the LGBTQ+ community.
On the eve of the event, Hadja Lahbib, the EU’s commissioner for humanitarian aid and crisis management, emphasized that “all eyes are on Budapest,” highlighting the attention the government’s crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights has attracted from across Europe.
The defiance displayed by marchers on Saturday embodies a significant challenge to the increasingly authoritarian tendencies of Orbán’s government and signals a resolute demand for equal rights and democratic processes in Hungary.
image source from：npr
