Hungary’s parliament has voted to ban Pride events and allow authorities to use facial recognition software to identify attenders, potentially fining them. The legislation, pushed through by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s right-wing populist party, was described as a “full-frontal attack” on LGBTQ+ people by Amnesty International. The nationwide ban is believed to be the first of its kind in the EU’s recent history and has sparked widespread condemnation.
The law, which amends Hungary’s assembly law, makes it an offence to hold or attend events that violate the country’s contentious “child protection” legislation, which bars any “depiction or promotion” of homosexuality to minors under 18. Amnesty International said the spurious justification for the passing of this law is based on harmful stereotypes and deeply entrenched discrimination.
Hungarian authorities have taken several discriminatory measures against LGBTQ+ people in recent years. The EU commissioner for equality, Hadja Lahbib, described the ban as a “full-frontal attack” on the LGBTI community and a blatant violation of Hungary’s obligations to prohibit discrimination and guarantee freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
Organisers of Budapest Pride said the law was aimed at turning the LGBTQ+ minority into a “scapegoat” to silence critics of Orbán’s government. Despite the ban, organisers plan to go ahead with their 30th-anniversary march in Budapest. The Hungarian Civil Liberties Union warned that curtailing civil liberties, seemingly for political gain, is a slippery slope that could lead to virtual silence.
The law has sparked an outpouring of support from people who previously did not attend Pride events. Jojó Majercsik, a spokesperson for Budapest Pride, said many people have been mobilised in response to the ban.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/18/hungary-bans-pride-events-and-plans-to-use-facial-recognition-to-target-attenders