On Saturday (June 28), tens of thousands of LGBTQ+ rights supporters are expected to join the Budapest Pride march. This will happen despite a police ban. The event highlights ongoing tension between Hungary’s nationalist government and civil society groups.
Over the past decade, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s administration has gradually restricted LGBTQ+ rights. In March, lawmakers passed a law that allows banning Pride events. They said the aim was to protect children.
Critics say this is part of a wider effort to limit democratic freedoms. This comes ahead of next year’s general election. Orbán faces a strong opposition challenger.
Support and opposition
Organisers expect a large turnout, with participants coming from about 30 countries. Among them are European Commissioner for Equality Hadja Lahbib and around 70 members of the European Parliament.
More than 30 embassies have expressed support for the march. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also urged Hungarian authorities to let the event proceed.
Seventy Hungarian civil society groups published an open letter supporting the march. They include the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, Transparency International Hungary, and the Hungarian Helsinki Committee. They described the law behind the police ban as a way to intimidate society.
Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony tried to avoid the ban. He declared the march a municipal event, which he said did not need a permit. Police disagreed and upheld the ban, citing the child protection law.
Legal consequences and political context
Orbán’s government follows a Christian-conservative agenda. On Friday, Orbán warned of “legal consequences” for those organising or attending the march.
Earlier this week, Justice Minister Bence Tuzson sent a letter to some foreign embassies. He warned that organising a banned event could lead to a prison sentence of up to one year. Attending could be treated as a misdemeanour.
The law also allows police to impose fines and use facial recognition to identify attendees.
When asked about the threat of a one-year jail term, Mayor Karácsony said at a press conference that it might boost his popularity. Still, he did not take the threat seriously.
Zoltan Novak, an analyst at the Centre for Fair Political Analysis think tank, said the government’s focus on the march has helped it regain political momentum. This has mobilised its voter base.
“Fidesz has controlled the political agenda for the past 15 years,” Novak said. However, this control is now challenged. The centre-right opposition leader Peter Magyar’s Tisza party currently leads Orbán’s Fidesz by 15 points in a recent poll.
Tisza has avoided a clear stance on LGBTQ+ issues. When asked by Reuters, the party did not comment on the legality of the march. However, it said that those attending deserve state protection.
“Peter Magyar has called on Hungarian authorities and police to protect the people this Saturday and on other days,” a Tisza spokesperson said. Magyar himself confirmed he would not attend.
