Tens of thousands of Hungarians, including LGBTQ+ community members and their supporters from around the world, marched in Budapest’s largest-ever Pride parade on Saturday, defying Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s efforts to ban the event. The attempt to prohibit the parade appeared to backfire as police seemed to work to maintain distance between Pride supporters and antigay counter protesters.
The law, adopted under the guise of protecting children, restricted freedom of assembly and authorized facial recognition technology to identify and punish participants in events that violate a “child protection act” that outlaws displays of homosexuality. However, organizers refused to back down and declared the event an official municipal event to commemorate Hungary’s full emergence from behind the Iron Curtain.
Liberal Mayor Gergely Karacsony, who declared the event an official municipal event, said Budapest would stand united in defiance of repression. “The strength and greatness of Budapest lie in its diversity,” he said. “As Pope Francis once said about the city: Unity in Budapest does not mean uniformity, but uniqueness.”
Thousands of people were on the streets marching in a sea of rainbow colors, including European Union politicians who demonstrated support for human rights and individual liberties guaranteed by the bloc’s treaties. Police formed a line blocking the original parade route, potentially to keep Pride supporters and antigay demonstrators apart.
The light touch by police may have reflected concern that Prime Minister Orban would be blamed for any violence or injuries. Orban’s conservative rival, Péter Magyar, issued a statement warning that if anyone was hurt in Budapest, Viktor Orbán alone would be responsible.
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/06/28/budapest-pride-hungary-ban-lgbtq