In Budapest, Hungary, approximately 100,000 individuals demonstrated in defiance of a governmental prohibition and police directives, participating Saturday in what organizers have deemed Hungary’s most significant LGBTQ+ Pride march to date. This act was a bold challenge to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s administration.
Marchers, aware of the potential for police interference and substantial fines, took part in the 30th annual Budapest Pride, a gathering deemed illegal in March by Orbán’s right-wing populist regime. The procession kicked off at Budapest City Hall, meandering through the city center before crossing the Danube River via Erzsébet Bridge. To avoid confrontation with a small far-right counterprotest, police redirected the march from its intended course, with LGBTQ+ community members and allies celebrating with music and displays of rainbow and anti-government flags.
Blanka Molnár, a participant, described the event as “fantastic,” noting the historic turnout despite the ban. She emphasized the growing necessity for Hungarians, including those new to Pride, to resist governmental policies. “This isn’t merely about LGBTQ+ rights,” she remarked, “but about the right to assemble and protecting each other against governmental oppression.”
The protest’s sheer magnitude, despite the government’s claims that future marches would be prohibited in Hungary, dealt a significant blow to Orbán’s stature, amidst his waning popularity in polls now favoring a new opposition force. Orbán and his party have argued Pride violates children’s rights to moral and spiritual development, as encapsulated by a constitutional amendment prioritizing these rights over fundamental freedoms, such as peaceful assembly.
Legislation fast-tracked in March criminalized events that “depict or promote” homosexuality to minors under 18. Orbán previously indicated Budapest Pride was a specific target.
In anticipation, authorities mounted extra cameras downtown to identify participants in the banned event using facial recognition technology. Fines for attending, under the new law, could reach 200,000 Hungarian forints (about $586).
András Faludy, another protester, criticized Hungary’s recent “hysteria” over Pride as “damn pathetic” and nonsensical, expressing deep anger about the situation.
The ban represents the Orbán government’s latest action restricting LGBTQ+ rights, having already impeded same-sex adoption, marriage, and prevented transgender individuals from legally changing their gender.
Police recently denied organizer requests to legitimize the Pride march. However, Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony collaborated with organizers, declaring the event a separate municipal gathering, which he claims bypasses police authorization.
Nonetheless, Hungary’s leadership maintained it would be unlawful even with city sponsorship, with its justice minister threatening Karácsony with imprisonment for organizing or promoting attendance at Pride.
Many marchers viewed their participation as not only a defense of sexual minority rights but a fight for Hungary’s democratic trajectory. Zsófia Szekér, another attendee, felt that the impressive turnout indicated a collective longing for change within Hungary. “Change can only come when numbers like these take to the streets,” she asserted.
Home 100K Rally in Budapest Pride, Opposing Hungary's Ban