Hungary’s police have officially banned the annual Budapest Pride march, but Mayor Gergely Karacsony remains undeterred, asserting that the event will take place as planned. “Budapest city hall will organise the Budapest Pride march as a local event on 28 June, Period,” the mayor declared, reflecting a spirit of defiance amid ongoing tensions between the nationalist government and the LGBTQ community.
The Pride march has faced uncertainty after Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government signaled its opposition earlier this year, including a law prohibiting gatherings that violate child protection regulations concerning the promotion of homosexuality. This backdrop sets the stage for a confrontation that has drawn legal support for the LGBTQ community.
Mayor Karacsony argued that police do not possess the authority to ban a designated “Day of Freedom,” a local event organized by the city council which he claims falls outside the jurisdiction of assembly regulations. An estimated tens of thousands of supporters from Hungary and abroad are expected to attend the event on June 28. In a colorful metaphor, he commented on social media, “They might as well try to ban a procession of unicorns.”
Under the recently enacted gathering law, individuals identified as participants could face fines ranging from £14 to £420 through police surveillance using facial recognition technology. Tamas Menczer, Fidesz’s communications chief, framed the issue by stating, “The protection of children trumps all other laws. And in that spirit we changed the laws, we make politics, and we will act in future,” dismissing Pride as merely a festival not suitable for children.
The series of events leading to the ban includes Orban’s announcement during his state of the nation speech in February, when he suggested organisers of the Pride march “need not bother this year.” The subsequent law passed in March limited freedom of assembly as it relates to the 2021 Child Protection Law.
In an effort to navigate these restrictions, the Rainbow Mission foundation and various human rights groups have organized a range of solidarity events on June 28, while leaving the authorities guessing about which activities will represent the actual Pride celebration. However, Hungary’s Supreme Court, known as the Curia, has intervened on two occasions, blocking police attempts to suppress these events.