Latest news with #PrideMarch
ABC News
3 hours ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Budapest LGBTQIA+ march swells into massive anti-government demonstration
Tens of thousands of protesters have marched through Hungary's capital as a banned LGBTQIA+ rights rally has swelled into a mass anti-government demonstration. In a major show of opposition to Prime Minister Viktor Orban, crowds set off across one of the main bridges, waving rainbow flags and with some people carrying signs mocking Mr Orban. Eszter Rein Bodi, one of the marchers, said: "This is about much more. Not just about homosexuality … This is the last moment to stand up for our rights." One sign read: "None of us are free until everyone is free." Mr Orban's government has gradually curtailed the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community in the past decade, with a law passed in March that allows for the ban of Pride marches, citing the need to protect children. Mr Orban's opponents see the move as part of a wider crackdown on democratic freedoms ahead of a national election next year when the veteran prime minister — whose party has dominated Hungary's political scene for 15 years — will face a strong opposition challenger. Small groups of far-right counter-protesters attempted to disrupt the peaceful march, but police separated them and diverted the route of the march to avoid any clashes. Mr Orban and his government, who promote a Christian-conservative agenda and have championed family values, have defended the restrictions, saying the need to protect children supersedes all other rights. The prime minister posted a photo with his grandchildren on the morning of the march, with the caption: "This is what I am proud of." Marchers included students, families and people from the countryside who said they had never attended a rally before. The Erzsébet Bridge, built to carry six lanes of traffic, was engulfed with people. Local media sites including and Magyar Hang estimated the crowd at 100,000, though Reuters could not confirm that figure. Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony told the rally that the message was "clear"; that the government had "no power over us". March organisers said participants had arrived from 30 different countries, including 70 members of the European Parliament. More than 30 embassies expressed support for the march and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on Hungarian authorities to let the parade go ahead. Budapest's mayor had tried to circumvent the law banning the march by organising Pride as a municipal event, which he said did not need a permit. Police however banned the event, arguing that it fell under the scope of the child protection law. Mr Orban provided some clues on Friday about what participants could expect when he warned of "legal consequences" for organising and attending the march. Earlier this week, Justice Minister Bence Tuzson warned in a letter sent to some foreign embassies in Budapest that organising a prohibited event was punishable by one year in jail, while attending counted as a misdemeanour. The law that allows for the ban of Pride lets police impose fines and use facial recognition cameras to identify people who attend. Mr Orban's attacks on Pride initially increased his support, political analyst Gabor Torok wrote on social media, but he said opinion shifted after the police ban and the legal debates surrounding the march. Mr Orban's dominance and ability to set the political agenda has faced increasing challenges from centre-right Opposition Leader Peter Magyar's Tisza Party, which had a 15-point lead over Mr Orban's Fidesz in a poll this month. Tisza, which has been avoiding taking a strong position on gay rights issues, did not specify, in response to Reuters questions, whether it believed the Pride march was lawful, but said those attending deserved the state's protection. Reuters
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Thousands defy ban to join Pride march in Budapest
If Hungary's authorities thought banning this year's Pride march would keep people off the streets, they were wrong. Thousands turned out in Budapest, defying a law which said events like this should be cancelled to protect children. The crowd was determined to fight for their rights. "This is a special march, not just because it was the 30th, but also because it was banned," said Orsi, who proudly wore a rainbow headband and waved a rainbow flag. "I mean that's all the more reason to go out on the street and show that Budapest and is a place where everybody is welcome, where love is equal," she added. Attendees had been warned that just being there could mean a 500 euro fine or prison time for the organisers. They were told police would use facial recognition cameras to identify them, but they didn't care. Orsi said it was worth a fine. Leonas had travelled from Poland to show his support and was also happy to take the risk. "LGBT rights are attacked across the whole world, and we need to defend each other and work with each other," he said. government has repeatedly pitched family values against LGBTQ+ rights. "The mother is a woman, the father is a man and leave our kids alone," he told conservative audiences in the past. He says he is protecting Hungary's Christian values, but critics say this is just part of a wider attack on democracy which has happened during his 15 years in control. The Pride ban is just the latest . In 2020, the country abolished its legal recognition of transgender people, and in 2021, politicians passed a law banning the depiction of homosexuality to under-18s. While many were outraged by the attempt to cancel the Pride march, a small number of far-right activists organised demonstrations to show their support: "Hungary and the Hungarian nation don't want the aggressive LGBTQ+ propaganda. They are dangerous for our families, they are dangerous for our kids," said Gabor Kelemen, a member of the 64 Counties Youth Movement. However, the packed streets showed many disagree. At one point, as far as the eye could see, the march snaked through streets and across the city's bridges. The sound of drums and whistles mixing with gay anthems blaring out of speakers. The organisers said they believed this will be the largest Pride march ever in Budapest. Read more from Sky News: The crowd was eclectic, with Hungarians from different communities joining a demonstration which many believe is now part of a fight for Hungary's future. "This is not only about the complexity of Pride, not only about love or equality... for Hungarians, it's about sticking together, supporting each other, showing the government that we believe in a different kind of Hungary. We believe in freedom, we believe in democracy," said activist Adam Kanicsar. Despite the ban, today Pride attendees were celebrating a victory. But make no mistake, many in Hungary do not support the parade or what they see as an attack on traditional values. Next year, the country will hold a general election, a vote which will expose how divided Hungary really is.
Sky News
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Thousands defy ban to join Pride march in Budapest
If Hungary's authorities thought banning this year's Pride march would keep people off the streets, they were wrong. Thousands turned out in Budapest, defying a law which said LGBTQ+ events like this should be cancelled to protect children. The crowd was determined to fight for their rights. "This is a special march, not just because it was the 30th, but also because it was banned," said Orsi, who proudly wore a rainbow headband and waved a rainbow flag. "I mean that's all the more reason to go out on the street and show that Budapest and Hungary is a place where everybody is welcome, where love is equal," she added. Attendees had been warned that just being there could mean a 500 euro fine or prison time for the organisers. They were told police would use facial recognition cameras to identify them, but they didn't care. Orsi said it was worth a fine. Leonas had travelled from Poland to show his support and was also happy to take the risk. "LGBT rights are attacked across the whole world, and we need to defend each other and work with each other," he said. Viktor Orban's government has repeatedly pitched family values against LGBTQ+ rights. "The mother is a woman, the father is a man and leave our kids alone," he told conservative audiences in the past. He says he is protecting Hungary's Christian values, but critics say this is just part of a wider attack on democracy which has happened during his 15 years in control. The Pride ban is just the latest targeting of LGBTQ+ communities. In 2020, the country abolished its legal recognition of transgender people, and in 2021, politicians passed a law banning the depiction of homosexuality to under-18s. While many were outraged by the attempt to cancel the Pride march, a small number of far-right activists organised demonstrations to show their support: "Hungary and the Hungarian nation don't want the aggressive LGBTQ+ propaganda. They are dangerous for our families, they are dangerous for our kids," said Gabor Kelemen, a member of the 64 Counties Youth Movement. However, the packed streets showed many disagree. At one point, as far as the eye could see, the march snaked through streets and across the city's bridges. The sound of drums and whistles mixing with gay anthems blaring out of speakers. The organisers said they believed this will be the largest Pride march ever in Budapest. The crowd was eclectic, with Hungarians from different communities joining a demonstration which many believe is now part of a fight for Hungary's future. "This is not only about the complexity of Pride, not only about love or equality... for Hungarians, it's about sticking together, supporting each other, showing the government that we believe in a different kind of Hungary. We believe in freedom, we believe in democracy," said activist Adam Kanicsar. Despite the ban, today Pride attendees were celebrating a victory. But make no mistake, many in Hungary do not support the parade or what they see as an attack on traditional values. Next year, the country will hold a general election, a vote which will expose how divided Hungary really is.
BBC News
5 hours ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Budapest Pride draws huge crowds in defiance of Orban legal threats
Reuters Tens of thousands have gathered for the Budapest Pride march, defying Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's legal threats against LGBTQ rights activists. Organisers estimated that a record 200,000 people may have taken part despite mounting pressure from nationalist conservative politicians and police to stop any display of pro-LGBTQ material. The police issued a ban in line with a new "child protection" law restricting gatherings considered to be promoting homosexuality. Orban downplayed the possibility of violent clashes between police and participants, but warned of potential legal repercussions for attendees. Reuters "Of course, the police could break up such events, because they have the authority to do so, but Hungary is a civilised country, a civic society. We don't hurt each other," he told state radio on Friday. "There will be legal consequences, but it cannot reach the level of physical abuse." Attendees risk a fine of up to €500 (£427; $586), with police empowered to use facial recognition technology to identify them. Organisers could face a one-year prison sentence. Luca, 34, who is planning to attend with her mother Enikö, said they want a country of "diversity" which she said they don't currently have. "We have a law that bans people who are different from others to gather. This is why we are here. Because it's hurting our rights. That's why we came." She told the BBC she is worried about her four-year-old daughter's future living "in a country where she can't love anyone she wants to". Barnabás said he was attending 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, which obviously everyone here is not". Not part of the community himself, the 22-year-old said he comes from the countryside, where people "are more likely to be xenophobic and homophobic". EU equalities commissioner Hadja Lahbib, a former Belgian foreign minister, is in Budapest and expected to join the march. On Friday, she posted a picture showing her standing with the liberal Budapest mayor Gergely Karacsony in front of a rainbow flag symbolising gay rights. The Pride march "will be a powerful symbol of the strength of the civil society", she wrote on X. Reuters Dozens of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) were also expected to be in attendance. Finnish MEP Li Andersson said it was important for her and her European colleagues to be there to show solidarity with both Hungary's LGBTQI community and civil society. "It's important to emphasise that the reason why we are here is not only Pride - this is about the fundamental rights of all of us." She added that she thinks Orban is using arguments on family values as a pretext to ban the march. "[It's] a march that is fundamentally about equality and about equal rights for anyone - for everybody, about the right to love and live with whoever you choose. "And I think that's a core value that any free and democratic society should respect." Reuters Karacsony, a member of Hungary's opposition, has insisted no-one attending the march can face any reprisals as it has been co-organised by city hall, and as such is a municipal event that does not require police approval. Ahead of the Pride, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen asked the Orban government not to block the march. Orban was unfazed, asking her "to refrain from interfering in the law enforcement affairs" of EU member countries.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Big crowds gather in Hungarian capital to defy ban on Budapest Pride
Beneath a blaze of rainbow flags and amid roars of defiance, big crowds gathered in the Hungarian capital Budapest for the city's 30th annual Pride march – an event that, this year, is unfolding as both a celebration and a protest. Moving through the capital in the sweltering heat, demonstrators carried signs reading 'Solidarity with Budapest Pride' and waved placards bearing crossed-out illustrations of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Music played from portable speakers as people of all ages joined the march – families with pushchairs, teenagers draped in capes, and older residents walking alongside activists. From the city's historic centre to its riverside roads, the procession swelled in numbers and noise – visibly reclaiming public space in defiance of a law designed to push them out. The march proceeded in open defiance of a police ban imposed earlier this year under sweeping new legislation that prohibits LGBTQ+ events nationwide. Eszter Rein Bodi was one of those who joined the massive crowds in Budapest on Saturday, telling Reuters: 'This is about much more, not just about homosexuality … This is the last moment to stand up for our rights.' Krisztina Aranyi, another marcher, told the news agency that 'the right to assembly is a basic human right, and I don't think it should be banned.' She added, 'Just because someone does not like the reason why you go to the street, or they do not agree with it, you still have the right to do so.' Huge crowds turned out in the city for the parade, with many holding homemade banners aloft. One sign read 'Transgender people are a blessing on this earth' while another banner read 'Proud. United. Equal in every corner of the EU.' At least 70 members of the European Parliament were expected to join the procession, officials told CNN in May. Van Sparrentak, who is a Dutch MEP from the parliament's 'Greens/European Free Alliance' political group, told CNN that she will be attending Budapest Pride to 'support the LGBTIQ+ community in Hungary, to let them know that they are not alone (and) to be visible as a community.' 'Pride is a protest, and if Orbán can ban Budapest Pride without consequences, every pride is one election away from being banned,' she continued. In March, Hungarian lawmakers passed legislation barring Pride events and permitting the use of facial recognition technology to identify participants – measures campaigners say is illegal and part of a wider crackdown on the LGBTQ+ community. Orban welcomed the ban, which he said would outlaw gatherings that 'violate child protection laws.' His government has pushed a strongly Christian and conservative agenda. The ban sparked lively protests in Budapest in March, with organizers of the city's Pride vowing to continue with the annual festival despite the new law and declaring: 'We will fight this new fascist ban.' A petition demanding police reject the ban has gathered over 120,000 signatures from supporters in 73 countries, urging authorities to 'reject this unjust law' – believed to be the first of its kind in the EU's recent history – and ensure that the march proceeded 'unhindered and peacefully, free from discrimination, harassment, fear or violence.' CNN's Catherine Nicholls and Billy Stockwell contributed to this report.
