Latest news with #UrsulaVonDerLeyen
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
‘None of us are free until everyone is free': Tens of thousands attend Budapest Pride in defiance of ban
Tens of thousands of protesters marched through Hungary's capital on Saturday as a banned LGBTQ+ rights rally swelled into a mass demonstration against the government. Crowds filled a square near Budapest's city hall before setting off across the city, some waving rainbow flags, others carrying signs mocking prime minister Viktor Orban . 'This is about much more, not just about homosexuality .... This is the last moment to stand up for our rights,' said Eszter Rein Bodi, one of the marchers. 'None of us are free until everyone is free,' one sign read. READ MORE Small groups of far-right counter-protesters attempted to disrupt the parade, but police kept them away and diverted the route of the march to avoid any clashes. Participants march in the Budapest Pride parade on Saturday. Photograph:Mr Orban's nationalist government has gradually curtailed the rights of the LGBTQ+ community in the past decade, and its members of parliament passed a law in March that allows for the ban of Pride marches, citing the need to protect children. Opponents see the move as part of a wider crackdown on democratic freedoms ahead of a national election next year when Mr Orban will face a strong opposition challenger. Organisers said participants arrived from 30 different countries, with 70 members of the European Parliament, including from Ireland, joining the parade. More than 30 embassies have expressed support for the march and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen called on Hungarian authorities to let it go ahead. Seventy Hungarian civil society groups, including the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, Transparency International Hungary and the Hungarian Helsinki Commission, published an open letter on Friday in support of the march, saying the law that led to the police ban 'serves to intimidate the entire society'. 'The right to assembly is a basic human right, and I don't think it should be banned. 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,' said Krisztina Aranyi, another marcher. Budapest's municipality organised the Pride march in a move to circumvent a law that allows police to ban LGBTQ+ marches. Photograph: Peter Kohalmi/AFP via Getty Images Budapest mayor Gergely Karacsony tried to circumvent the law by organising the march as a municipal event, which he said does not need a permit. Police, however, banned the event, arguing that it fell under the scope of the child protection law. Mr Orban, whose government promotes a Christian-conservative agenda, provided some clues on Friday about what participants can expect when he warned of 'legal consequences' for organising and attending the march. Earlier this week his justice minister Bence Tuzson warned in a letter sent to some foreign embassies in Budapest that organising a prohibited event is punishable by one year in jail, while attending counts 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. When asked about the threat of a one-year jail term, Mr Karacsony said at a press briefing on Friday that such a sentence would only boost his popularity. 'But I cannot take it seriously,' he said. Making the march a key topic of political discourse has allowed the Orban government to take the initiative back from the opposition and mobilise its voter base, said Zoltan Novak, an analyst at the Centre for Fair Political Analysis. Hungary's prime minister Viktor Orban. Photograph: John Thys/AFP via Getty Images 'In the past 15 years, Fidesz decided what topics dominated the political world,' he said, noting that this has become more difficult as Mr Orban's party has faced an increasing challenge from centre-right opposition leader Peter Magyar's Tisza party, which had a 15-point lead over Fidesz in a recent poll. Tisza, which has been avoiding taking a strong position on gay rights issues, did not specify in response to questions whether it believed the Pride march was lawful, but said those attending deserved the state's protection. 'Peter Magyar has called on the Hungarian authorities and police to protect the Hungarian people this Saturday, and on other days as well, even if it means standing up against the arbitrariness of power,' its press office said. Mr Magyar himself did not attend. - Reuters
Al Jazeera
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Record attendance expected at Budapest Pride march despite Orban warning
A record number of people are expected to attend a Pride march in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, defying a ban that marks an unprecedented regression of LGBTQ rights in the European Union. The event on Saturday comes after Prime Minister Viktor Orban's ruling coalition earlier this year amended laws and the constitution to ban the annual celebration. Orban's government has consistently argued that the legislation defends traditional family values and protects children. While the prime minister has been emboldened by the anti-diversity offensive of President Donald Trump in the United States, his own initiatives have drawn protests at home and condemnation from the EU and rights groups. The nationalist leader on Friday said that while police would not 'break up' the 30th edition of the Pride march, those who took part should be aware of 'legal consequences'. Despite the risk of a fine, more than 35,000 people are expected to gather at 2pm (12:00 GMT) near Budapest's city hall, an hour before the march begins. Ministers from several EU countries and dozens of European politicians are expected to attend in defiance of the ban, reminiscent of events in Moscow in 2006 and Istanbul in 2015. 'We're not just standing up for ourselves … If this law isn't overturned, Eastern Europe could face a wave of similar measures,' Pride organiser Viktoria Radvanyi said. Earlier this week, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen called on the Hungarian authorities to reverse the ban. Thirty-three countries have also spoken up in support of the march. While parade organisers risk up to a year in prison, attendees can face fines up to 500 euros ($580). The latest legal changes empower the authorities to use facial recognition technology to identify those who take part. Freshly installed cameras have appeared on lamp posts along the planned route of the march. However, Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony has insisted that no attendee can face any reprisals as the march – co-organised by the city hall this time – is a municipal event and does not require police approval. 'The police have only one task tomorrow, and it is a serious one: to ensure the safety of Hungarian and European citizens attending the event,' Karacsony said during a briefing with visiting EU equalities commissioner Hadja Lahbib. Far-right groups have announced multiple counterprotests along the planned route of the procession. Justice Minister Bence Tuzson this week sent a letter to EU embassies cautioning diplomats and staff against participating because of the police ban. Several EU countries have informed their citizens of the potential of fines through travel advisories. Since Orban's return to power in 2010, the country of 9.6 million people has been steadily rolling back LGBTQ rights. Legal changes have, in effect, barred same-sex couples from adopting children, prevented transgender people from changing their name or gender in official documents, and a 2021 law forbade the 'display and promotion' of homosexuality to under-18s. In March, politicians passed a bill targeting the annual Pride march, amending the 2021 law to prohibit any gathering violating its provisions. A month later, parliament also adopted a constitutional change to strengthen the legal foundations for the ban. 'Orban is employing a tried-and-tested recipe ahead of next year's election by generating a conflict,' political analyst Daniel Mikecz told the news agency AFP. Orban was 'polarising society', he added. Voter opinion polls suggest Orban's Fidesz party has been losing ground to the opposition. The first Pride march was held in 1970 in New York to mark the anniversary of the city's Stonewall riots in June 1969, which created the gay rights movement.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
EU and US optimistic about trade deal before July 9 tariff deadline
-- The European Union and the United States are expressing confidence about reaching a trade agreement before the July 9 deadline, when significant tariffs are set to take effect on both sides. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told EU leaders during a closed-door summit on Thursday that she believes a deal can be secured before the deadline, according to a report from Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter. This would prevent an economically damaging escalation between the two major trading partners. Von der Leyen informed leaders that the Trump administration had presented a new proposal this week. During discussions, EU leaders reportedly showed greater willingness to accept some imbalance in a potential trade agreement to avoid a tariff war. If no agreement is reached by July 9, the US plans to impose a 50% tariff on nearly all EU products, while the European bloc is prepared to implement its own set of countermeasures. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick shared similar optimism in a Thursday interview with Bloomberg TV. Lutnick noted that the EU had accelerated negotiations in recent weeks, establishing groundwork that could lead to an accord. Related articles EU and US optimistic about trade deal before July 9 tariff deadline - Bloomberg Deutsche Bank sees limited grounds for Spirit's JetBlue-United objection Jefferies starts Armada Hoffler at Buy, says dividend-cut sell-off is overdone
News.com.au
10 hours ago
- Politics
- News.com.au
Budapest Pride to challenge Orban's ban in Hungary
A record number of people are expected to attend Saturday's Pride march in the Hungarian capital Budapest, defying a ban that marks an unprecedented regression of LGBTQ rights in the European Union. Prime Minister Viktor Orban's ruling coalition amended laws and the constitution earlier this year to prohibit the annual celebration, justifying his years-long clampdown on LGBTQ rights on "child protection" grounds. While Orban has been emboldened by the anti-diversity offensive of US President Donald Trump, his own initiatives have drawn protests at home and condemnation from the EU and rights groups. The nationalist leader on Friday said that while police would not "break up" the 30th edition of the Pride march, those who took part should be aware of "legal consequences". Despite the risk of a fine, more than 35,000 people are expected to gather at 2:00 pm (1200 GMT) near Budapest's city hall, an hour before the march begins. Ministers from several EU countries, and dozens of European lawmakers are expected to attend in defiance of the ban, reminiscent of that in Moscow in 2006 and Istanbul in 2015. "We're not just standing up for ourselves... If this law isn't overturned, eastern Europe could face a wave of similar measures," Pride organiser Viktoria Radvanyi said. - Freshly installed cameras - Earlier this week, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen called on the Hungarian authorities to reverse the ban. Thirty-three countries have also spoken up in support of the march. While parade organisers risk up to a year in prison, attendees can face fines up to 500 euros ($580). The latest legal changes empower the authorities to use facial-recognition technology to identify those who take part. Freshly installed cameras have appeared on lamp posts along the planned route of the march. However, opposition Budapest mayor Gergely Karacsony has insisted that no attendee can face any reprisals as the march -- co-organised by the city hall this time -- is a municipal event and does not require police approval. "The police have only one task tomorrow, and it is a serious one: to ensure the safety of Hungarian and European citizens attending the event," Karacsony said during a briefing with visiting EU equalities commissioner Hadja Lahbib. Far-right groups have announced multiple counterprotests along the planned route of the procession. Justice Minister Bence Tuzson this week sent a letter to EU embassies cautioning diplomats and staff against participating because of the police ban. Several EU countries have informed their citizens of the potential of fines through travel advisories. - 'Polarising society' - Since Orban's return to power in 2010, the country of 9.6 million people has been steadily rolling back LGBTQ rights. Legal changes have effectively barred same-sex couples from adopting children, prevented transgender people from changing their name or gender in official documents, and a 2021 law forbade the "display and promotion" of homosexuality to under-18s. This March, lawmakers passed a bill targeting the annual Pride march, amending the 2021 law to prohibit any gathering violating its provisions. A month later, parliament also adopted a constitutional change to strengthen the legal foundations for the ban. "Orban is employing a tried-and-tested recipe ahead of next year's election by generating a conflict," political analyst Daniel Mikecz told AFP. Orban was "polarising society", he added. Voter opinion polls suggest Orban's Fidesz party has been losing ground to the opposition. The first Pride march was held in 1970 in New York to mark the anniversary of the city's Stonewall riots in June 1969, which sparked the gay rights movement. ros/jza/jj/ach
NHK
18 hours ago
- Business
- NHK
Von der Leyen floats idea of EU-Asia trade cooperation
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has floated the idea of cooperating with Asia to promote rules-based free trade. She says it could serve as the basis for redesigning the World Trade Organization. Von der Leyen spoke on Thursday after a European Union summit. She referred to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, or CPTPP, describing the key trade pact as "most attractive and interesting." She also said Asian nations want structured cooperation with the EU, and the EU "wants the same." US President Donald Trump's "America First" policy and sweeping tariffs have put the global economy at a crossroads. Von der Leyen's comments suggest the EU may be seeking to lead a free-trade system that does not include the United States. But one EU source says she is more likely posturing as a way to gain leverage over the Trump administration.
