Tens of thousands defied a new government ban to march in Budapest’s annual Pride celebration on Saturday, challenging Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights.
Despite police prohibition and threats of fines or imprisonment, organizers site a record turnout exceeding 35,000, with participants filling streets in a festive, yet defiant, atmosphere.
Orban’s government, citing “child protection,” recently amended laws to ban the event and has introduced measures like facial-recognition technology to identify attendees. However, marchers remained resolute.
International support was evident, with the EU condemning the ban and 33 nations issuing a joint statement. EU officials and numerous European lawmakers also attended in solidarity.
While some far-right groups staged counter-protests, Budapest’s opposition mayor affirmed the march’s municipal legality.
This ban marks a new escalation in Hungary’s decade-long erosion of LGBTQ+ rights under Orban, who analysts suggest is using such conflicts to polarize society ahead of next year’s election.
