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The Sun
27-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Hungary PM Orban warns of legal action over banned Budapest Pride march
BUDAPEST: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday there would be 'legal consequences' for organising or attending a Budapest Pride march in violation of a police ban on the event planned for this weekend. Hungary's parliament, in which Orban's right-wing Fidesz Party has a big majority, passed legislation in March that created a legal basis for police to ban LGBTQ marches, on the grounds that protecting children would supersede the right to assemble. It also lets police use facial recognition cameras to identify people who attend and impose fines. Critics see the move to ban Pride as part of a wider crackdown on democratic freedoms ahead of a general election next year when Orban will face a strong opposition challenger, seen by some recent opinion polls as pulling ahead. 'We are adults, and I recommend that everyone should decide what they want, keep to the rules ... and if they don't, then they should face the clear legal consequences,' Orban told state radio. He said police could disperse a banned event but Hungary was a 'civilised country' and the task for police was to convince people to follow the law. 'We are in the world not to make each others' lives more difficult but easier, this is the essence of Christianity,' he said. Britain, France and Germany and 30 other countries expressed support on Monday for Hungary's LGBTQ community and the Pride march on June 28, which is to go ahead after Budapest's liberal mayor said the city would organise the march as a municipal celebration of freedom. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called on Hungarian authorities to let the Pride parade go ahead - a move which Orban likened in his radio interview to receiving orders from Moscow in communist times. 'Just like Moscow, she regards Hungary as a subordinated country and she thinks she can order Hungarians from Brussels how to live, what to like, what not to like,' Orban said. Orban's government promotes a strongly Christian-conservative agenda and has passed several laws affecting the lives of LGBTQ people in the past decade.
Straits Times
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Hungary's PM Orban warns of legal consequences over banned Budapest Pride march
FILE PHOTO: A woman holds a flag during a march after the Hungarian parliament passed a law that bans LGBTQ+ communities from holding the annual Pride march and allows a broader constraint on freedom of assembly, in Budapest, Hungary, March 30, 2025. REUTERS/Marton Monus/File Photo BUDAPEST - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday there would be "legal consequences" for organising or attending a Budapest Pride march in violation of a police ban on the event planned for this weekend. Hungary's parliament, in which Orban's right-wing Fidesz Party has a big majority, passed legislation in March that created a legal basis for police to ban LGBTQ marches, on the grounds that protecting children would supersede the right to assemble. It also lets police use facial recognition cameras to identify people who attend and impose fines. Critics see the move to ban Pride as part of a wider crackdown on democratic freedoms ahead of a general election next year when Orban will face a strong opposition challenger, seen by some recent opinion polls as pulling ahead. "We are adults, and I recommend that everyone should decide what they want, keep to the rules ... and if they don't, then they should face the clear legal consequences," Orban told state radio. He said police could disperse a banned event but Hungary was a "civilised country" and the task for police was to convince people to follow the law. "We are in the world not to make each others' lives more difficult but easier, this is the essence of Christianity," he said. Britain, France and Germany and 30 other countries expressed support on Monday for Hungary's LGBTQ community and the Pride march on June 28, which is to go ahead after Budapest's liberal mayor said the city would organise the march as a municipal celebration of freedom. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called on Hungarian authorities to let the Pride parade go ahead - a move which Orban likened in his radio interview to receiving orders from Moscow in communist times. "Just like Moscow, she regards Hungary as a subordinated country and she thinks she can order Hungarians from Brussels how to live, what to like, what not to like," Orban said. Orban's government promotes a strongly Christian-conservative agenda and has passed several laws affecting the lives of LGBTQ people in the past decade. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yomiuri Shimbun
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Hungarian Police Ban Budapest Pride March, Citing Protection of Children
Reuters file photo People attend the Budapest Pride march in Budapest, Hungary, July 23, 2022. BUDAPEST, June 19 (Reuters) – Hungarian police said on Thursday that they were banning the Budapest Pride march of the LGBTQ+ community planned for June 28, despite the city's mayor saying it was a municipal event that requires no permits from authorities. Hungary's parliament, in which Prime Minister Viktor Orban's right-wing Fidesz Party has a big majority, passed legislation in March that created a legal basis for police to ban LGBTQ marches, citing the protection of children. It also lets police use facial recognition cameras to identify people who attend. Budapest's liberal mayor Gergely Karacsony tried to circumvent the law when he announced on Monday that since the Budapest Pride march will be a municipal event 'no permits from authorities are needed'. Budapest metropolitan police, however, said the law applied to the event organised by the mayor and banned it. The police ban has 'no relevance' as authorities were not officially notified of the plans for the event, Karacsony said on Facebook. 'The Metropolitan Municipality will host the Budapest Pride Freedom Celebration on June 28, the day of Hungarian freedom, as a municipal event. Period,' the mayor wrote. Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend the protest. Orban faces a challenging election in 2026 where a new surging opposition party poses a threat to his rule. His government has a Christian conservative agenda and its intensifying campaign against the LGBTQ community has aimed to please Fidesz's core voters, mostly in the countryside. Orban said in February that organisers should not even bother organising Pride in Budapest this year.
RTÉ News
19-06-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Green Party leader to attend Pride parade in Budapest despite ban
Green Party leader Roderic O'Gorman has said that he will travel to Hungary to attend the Budapest pride parade on 28 June after Hungarian police said they are banning the parade. The march, which would be the city's 30th pride parade festival, is organised in support of the LGBTQI+ community, and had been planned for 28 June. "The police, acting within their authority over public assemblies, prohibit the holding of the assembly at the aforementioned location and time," the police said in a statement published on their website. They added that the decision could be appealed within three days at the country's supreme court. However, Budapest's liberal mayor Gergely Karacsony vowed to hold the march, despite the police ban. "Given that the municipality did not make its announcement within the framework of the law on gatherings, this interdiction has no value," he wrote on his Facebook page. He added: "Budapest city hall will organise the Budapest pride march on June 28 as a city event. Period." Speaking this afternoon, Mr O'Gorman said that the police move is the "most egregious attack" on the LGBTQI+ community seen in decades. "This is a very explicit erosion of the rights of the LGBTI+ community in Hungary. "It's an absolute attempt to silence them by their government. It's a clear breach of human rights. "And that's why it's important that elected reps from all over Europe rally around Hungarians, rally around people in Hungary who see this for what it is and support them at the Budapest parade this year," said Mr O'Gorman. Hungary's parliament, in which Prime Minister Viktor Orban's right-wing Fidesz Party has a big majority, passed legislation in March that created a legal basis for police to ban LGBTQI+ marches, citing the protection of children. Mr Orban's government has a Christian conservative agenda and has been fielding an intensifying campaign against the LGBTQI+ community. It also pushed through constitutional changes in April stipulating that Hungary recognises only two sexes, male and female. Mr Orban previously said that organisers "should not even bother" organising pride in Budapest this year. Mr O'Gorman that the Hungarian government of Mr Orban "has been scapegoating the LGBTI+ community now for many years, and what they've done now is one further escalation".
The Independent
19-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Budapest Pride march banned by Hungarian police
Hungarian police have controversially banned the Budapest Pride march despite the city's liberal mayor declaring it a municipal event. The decision follows the passage of new legislation in March by Hungary's parliament, where Prime Minister Viktor Orban's right-wing Fidesz Party holds a significant majority. This law provides a legal basis for police to prohibit LGBTQ + marches, citing the protection of children, and controversially allows for the use of facial recognition cameras to identify attendees. Budapest's mayor, Gergely Karacsony, announced on Monday that the Budapest Pride march, which was scheduled for 28 June, will be organised by the city of Budapest. Mayor Karacsony had attempted to bypass the new regulations by announcing that, as a municipal event, the Budapest Pride march would proceed without needing authorisation. He stated that "no permits from authorities are needed." However, the Budapest metropolitan police swiftly countered the mayor's declaration, asserting that the new law applied to the event regardless of its municipal designation, and confirmed the ban. The police ban has "no relevance" as authorities were not officially notified of the plans for the event, Karacsony said on Facebook. "The Metropolitan Municipality will host the Budapest Pride Freedom Celebration on June 28, the day of Hungarian freedom, as a municipal event. Period," the mayor wrote. Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend the protest. Orban faces a challenging election in 2026 where a new surging opposition party poses a threat to his rule. His government has a Christian conservative agenda and its intensifying campaign against the LGBTQ community has aimed to please Fidesz's core voters, mostly in the countryside. Orban said in February that organisers should not even bother organising Pride in Budapest this year.
