Irish politicians attend huge banned Budapest Pride event as Victor Orbán threatens ‘legal consequences' to marchers
They were among a record number of people expected to attend the event, despite Mr Orbán threatening there would be 'legal consequences' for organisers and attendees.
More than 100,000 people are thought to have attended the event which saw large parts of central Budapest overtaken by the movement.
Mr O'Gorman and MEPs Maria Walsh and Cynthia Ní Mhurchú were in the crowd marching through the Hungarian capital today.
Those in attendance 'face the possibility of arrest, a fine of up to €500 and imprisonment of up to one year under Hungarian law,' said Ms Walsh, who urged any Irish citizens intending on travelling to Budapest to be on 'high alert'.
The Fine Gael MEP described the decision to ban Pride marches in Hungary as a 'frightening step backwards for members of the LGBTQI+ community across Europe'.
'I am proud to be marching in Budapest Pride this weekend. In a year when Orbán has classified public displays of love within my own community as a child protection issue, we must all fight back."
The Hungarian government enacted a hugely controversial so-called 'child protection' law in 2021 that prohibits the "depiction or promotion' of homosexuality to children under the age of 18.
A bill was also passed by the parliament that makes it illegal to hold any public gatherings that breached that law, with further legislation effectively banning Pride events.
The European Court of Human Rights has previously ruled in a case involving Russia that banning such events breaches human rights protections.
Ireland South MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, who will attend the march today, described the banning of Pride as a 'blatant attack on our civil liberties with the European Union'.
She backed calls for the European Commission to intervene, including requesting interim measures in the ongoing infringement procedure against Hungary's 2021 anti-LGBTQ+ law.
"The Hungarian Government's repeated violations of the rule of law and EU treaty principles is setting a dangerous precedent.'
Former taoiseach Leo Varadkar, who was in Hungary for a conference earlier this week, said the atmosphere in Budapest has been 'tense' in the days ahead of the march.
He told RTÉ's Drivetime that while he expects Hungarian authorities will not use 'batons and tear gas on tens of thousands of people' as 'the world would see that', the Green Party mayor of the city could be prosecuted and facial recognition technology will be used to identify attendees and fine them.
"This is very oppressive, this is all contrary to European law, by the way, so I think there's a role for the European Union to play here in overturning some of these laws.'
It comes as tens of thousands of people are expected to take part in Dublin's Pride parade today.
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