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Euronews
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Opposing parties use mass Budapest Pride to boost their own agendas
Both the Hungarian government and the opposition are trying to spin Saturday's Budapest Pride march, which attracted an unprecedented turnout, to serve their own political interests. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán called the march "repulsive and shameful," saying it was not a spontaneous public initiative and instead accused "puppet politicians" in Brussels of orchestrating the event. "This is proof of what life would be like if our country were not run by a national government defending our sovereignty," the Prime Minister warned on the Facebook group "Warriors' Club", an organisation close to his party Fidesz. He added that he believed the same would happen in the case of migration and the Ukraine war. "No demonstration can compete with the 3.7 million voters in the 2022 gender referendum. What's more, repulsive and shameful things have happened. Drag queen shows on stage, men in high heels, hormone therapy brochures. This is not pride, this is shame," Orbán wrote. Despite a government ban, more than 100,000 people took part in the march through Budapest. Pro-government media claimed it as a success for the Prime Minister. Local media Manidner wrote that Orbán's master plan has worked: "The opposition has become one with Pride, which polls show is opposed by the majority in Hungary." However, Bulcsú Hunyadi, an analyst at Political Capital, believes that the march created an uncomfortable political situation for the ruling Fidesz party. "Fidesz introduced a law in an effort to ban Pride, but Pride happened, and an unprecedented crowd participated, expressing solidarity not only with the LGBT community, but also expressing their opposition to Fidesz wanting to ban an event," Hunyadi said, adding that "Fidesz set this trap and fell into it themselves." "The tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of people who took part in this demonstration experienced that there is an impact, there is a reason to stand up for things or to stand against things, you can show strength, and if the government says or does something, it doesn't necessarily make it happen." According to Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony, Hungary revealed a different side this weekend, that of a country of solidarity, freedom and Europe. According to Péter Magyar,** leader of the Tisza party, Orbán managed to render himself as the king of Pride in Europe, as "no one else has managed to mobilise such a large crowd for a demonstration against himself by inciting hatred and incitement." Klára Dobrev, chair of the Democratic Coalition, believes the mass attendance is an indicator that people are fed up with Orbán's style of government.
Euronews
29-06-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Orbán says Pride marched in the Budapest 'on the orders of Brussels'
The international press estimates the number of participants in Saturday's event, the Budapest Pride march - which was, in fact, the outlawed Budapest Pride - at between 100- and 200,000. One thing is for sure: the organisers broke the previous record of 35,000 by a considerable margin. On Sunday, it was finally became clear how Viktor Orbán assessed the Saturday parade, as the Prime Minister. He had told the Pride organisers in February that they "should not bother" with their organisational efforts, as the government would not allow the event to take place. Orders from Brussels? The Prime Minister sent a message to the "Warriors' Club", an organisation close to his party Fidesz - which also reached the independent news website Index - in which he wrote that "Brussels has issued an order that there must be a Pride in Budapest. Their puppet politicians have carried out the order. This is proof of what life would be like if our country were not run by a national government defending our sovereignty. Orders from Brussels, puppet politicians in Budapest in hats, TISZA, [social democrat] DK and Karácsony [Mayor of Budapest] voters in the streets". Orbán called the event itself "disgusting and shameful", pointing out that events such as drag performances, men in high heels or brochures on hormone therapy "do not fit into Hungarian culture". He added that "the 3.7 million voters of the 2022 gender vote" could "not be matched by the number of any demonstration". Orbán - the king of Pride? His main rival Péter Magyar did not miss the opportunity to react. The leader of the TISZA party said that "Viktor Orbán became the king of Pride in Europe yesterday, because no one else has ever managed to mobilise such a large crowd for a demonstration against himself by inciting hatred". The opposition politician took full advantage and wrote in his post that "Orbán can no longer govern, public services are falling apart. The Hungarian railways stop running every weekend, the health care system is dying, people are living worse and worse and everyone is cutting their pennies." Recent polls have shown his party leading Fidesz by up to ten points. Parliamentary elections are expected to be held in April next year. A clever trap? The government officially tried to play down the massive event - and even spin it as a "clever trap" by Viktor Orbán, using it to reinforce his narrative that Pride marchers were a manipulated minority, but political scientist Gábor Török disagreed. According to him, "the clumsy ban and the police's legal manoeuvring" also indicated that events have taken a wrong turn for the government: "Fidesz certainly did not miss the spectacle of today, the crowds, the distant images that almost resemble the Peace March - and of course the prominent role of Our Homeland," he said in his Facebok post. By 20:00 on Saturday, police had arrested 36 people, one woman for criminal mischief and one man for possession of drugs. Two people were taken ill and a 15-year-old boy was injured when he fell from the railing he was climbing. The police called an ambulance as a safety measure, reported.
