Budapest’s metropolitan police have made it official by refusing to allow the Budapest Pride march, planned for 28 June. The event, organized by the mayor of Budapest, Gergely Karácsony, was set to be a significant gathering celebrating LGBTQ rights, coinciding with the day of Hungarian freedom. Hungary’s parliament has just adopted a law which allows the police to ban protests. This ban, ostensibly designed to protect the children, poses a serious threat to freedom of assembly.
The new legislation, which went into effect last month, has drawn condemnation for its disproportionate attacking of the country’s LGBTQ communities.… The ruling Fidesz Party, under Prime Minister Viktor Orban, controls two-thirds of parliament. It unapologetically describes itself as a defender of old-time values. The government’s position has, over the last decade, played into a larger Christian conservative agenda that has systematically pushed LGBTQ rights to the fringes in Hungary.
The proposed Budapest Pride Freedom Celebration promised to bring hundreds to tens of thousands. These champions of equity and inclusion were ready to strike a blow for progress. Ironically though, the police used the new law as basis for their decision to stop the event dead in its tracks. This action further illustrates the governments’ ongoing attempts to silence LGBTQ visibility and advocacy. They’re doing this as a way to cater more to their base especially in rural states.
Mayor Gergely Karácsony, whose administration organized the event, said such a ban was “unforgivable” given the importance of the event.
“The Metropolitan Municipality will host the Budapest Pride Freedom Celebration on June 28, the day of Hungarian freedom, as a municipal event. Period.” – Gergely Karácsony
As Hungary prepares for the 2026 elections, Viktor Orban faces significant challenges. A newly formed party is quickly gaining steam and increasingly poses a very real threat to his decades-long grip on power. The government’s intensified campaign against the LGBTQ community is seen by many as a strategy to rally support from traditionalist voters amid these evolving political dynamics.
