The annual Hungary Pride march is poised to take place this Saturday, in defiance of Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s warnings of potential legal repercussions for LGBTQ rights activists. Orban expressed confidence that violent confrontations between authorities and marchers were unlikely, but he reiterated warnings about consequences for participants.
Hungarian police have issued a ban in light of a new “child protection” law that restricts gatherings promoting homosexuality. Nevertheless, a participant stated her intention to join the march, emphasizing her desire for her children to grow up in a country characterized by “diversity.”
Despite facing pressure from nationalist conservative politicians and law enforcement to prevent any display of pro-LGBTQ expressions, march organizers are hopeful for a record turnout.
Orban commented on state radio, acknowledging that police could disrupt such gatherings based on their authority yet added, “Hungary is a civilised country, a civic society. We don’t hurt each other.” He emphasized that while legal consequences would follow, he did not envision them escalating to physical conflict.
March attendees could face fines of up to €500 (£427; $586), with police authorized to employ facial recognition technology for identification. Meanwhile, organizers could potentially face imprisonment for up to one year.
Luca, 34, who plans to attend with her mother Enikö, expressed concern for her four-year-old daughter, stating, “We have a law that bans people who are different from others from gathering. This is why we are here. Because it’s hurting our rights. That’s why we came.”
Barnabás, a 22-year-old from the countryside, stated he would attend to “express my solidarity with the LGBTQ community… because I know what it feels like not being seen and to be treated like an outcast.”
EU equalities commissioner Hadja Lahbib, alongside numerous Members of the European Parliament, is expected to join the event. Lahbib recently shared a photograph with Gergely Karacsony, the liberal mayor of Budapest, in front of a rainbow flag symbolizing LGBTQ rights. She referred to the march as “a powerful symbol of the strength of civil society” on social media.
Karacsony has stressed that no participant should fear reprisals as the march is co-organized with the city hall and does not require police approval. On the eve of the Pride event, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urged the Orban government to allow the march to proceed. Nonetheless, Orban remained undeterred, requesting von der Leyen to “refrain from interfering in the law enforcement affairs” of EU member states.