Thousands Attend Banned Budapest Pride in Defiance of Viktor Orban

Tens of thousands of people went down to the street for the pride of Budapest on Saturday in the contempt for the attempts of the government of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to prohibit the event.

Dozens of members of the European Parliament joined the procession in support of the event in the Hungarian capital while the 30th annual event continued despite the government’s moves to repel LGBTQ +rights.

Renáta Uitz, one of the main experts in constitutional law at the CEU Democracy Institute, said Nowsweek Saturday from the middle of the event, it was a “mass demonstration for freedom and against the government”.

Nowsweek contacted the Hungarian government to comment.

Why it matters

The Government of Orbán modified the laws and the constitution this year to prohibit the annual celebration in the context of a repression on LGBTQ + rights for reasons of “child protection”.

The government has also said that it would use facial recognition software to identify people participating in all prohibited events that have been condemned international as shown to weaken democratic institutions at the heart of the EU.

Saturday’s protest is a rallying cry against Orbán’s policies and will probably bring a political blow to the Fidesz party leader who faces a re -election next year.

What to know

Crowds gathered in Budapest for the 30th annual march of the city of the city in which the demonstrators wore panels reading “solidarity with the pride of Budapest” and agitated signs bearing reduced illustrations of Orbán.

The procession on Saturday began a local time at 3 p.m. and grew up through the historic center of the city to its riverside roads, reported CNN, making itself in disregard of the police imposed this year under the sweeping of a new legislation which prohibits LGBTQ + events on a national level.

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the EU committee, published her support on the legislators of X and the EU attended the event.

In response, Orbán posted on X so that the European Commission “refrains from interfering in the cases of the application of the laws of the Member States”.

Uitz, from Ceu Democracy Institute, said it was not an event of ordinary pride but a demonstration of freedom and opposition to the Government of Orban.

Uitz said that the best that Orban can make is to save face and present it as a street party rather than a demonstration against the government. “The political and moral credit goes to the mayor (Gergely) Karácsony and his support for an initiative of the courageous civil society,” said Uitz.

On April 15, the Hungarian Parliament adopted its 15th constitutional amendment which mandated the binary recognition of the sexes in the Constitution and allowed the authorities to restrict LGBTQ +events, citing “child protection”.

Uitz said Nowsweek In April, it was a decision of the Fidesz ruling party for a new social contract, but raised questions about the management of Hungary, especially since the country is positioned between Western alliances and illiberal models.

What people say

Renáta Uitz, a first -rate constitutional law expert at the CEU Democracy Institute, Nowsweek:: “It is not ordinary pride. It is a mass demonstration for freedom and against the government.

“The best Orbán can save the face is to make sure it is peaceful and remembers as a street festival – not as a protest against the regime.”

Agnes Callamard, secretary general of Amnesty International, on X: “Thousands of people walk for the pride of Budapest … against repression, we support it and we resist. We resist. It is a transnational civil disobedience.”

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the EU commission, on X: “To the LGBTIQ + community in Hungary and beyond: I will always be your ally.”

What happens next

Orbán said the police would not break the march of pride, but warned that those who participated should be aware of the “legal consequences”.

There will be anticipation as to whether under legal changes, those present can incur fines of up to 500 euros ($ 590), with more difficult possible sentences for the organizers, which could cause more condemnation of the EU.