Controversy in Hungary over ban on LGBT parade

The European Union and Hungary’s progressive opposition condemned a law passed by the Hungarian parliament last Tuesday which bans the staging of the LGBT Pride Parade, an annual event in Budapest, the country's capital.

The bill, introduced last Monday by the Fidesz-Hungarian Civic Union party, led by conservative Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, was passed the following day after being signed by President Tamas Sulyok. The party argued that the parade could be harmful to children.

"Europe must not allow it"

Michael O'Flaherty, the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights, expressed concern over the new law and urged Hungary's president to veto it, according to a report by Reuters.

Spanish Socialist President Pedro Sanchez also criticized the Hungarian government for the decision. In a post on X, he said, "Europe must not allow it.”

Locally, Budapest's leftist mayor, Gergely Karácsony, criticized the law and stated that this year's parade "could be bigger than ever," according to Reuters.

"Budapest is the city of freedom; there will be Pride," he declared.

Despite the ban, organizers announced that they will hold the event, which is scheduled for next June 28.

"This is not child protection, this is fascism" the organizers stated. "The Hungarian government is trying to restrict peaceful protests with a critical voice by targeting a minority. Therefore, as a movement, we will fight for the freedom of all Hungarians to protest," they added.

Orbán: "We won’t let woke ideology endanger our kids"

After the vote in Parliament, Prime Minister Orbán celebrated the decision on X. "Today, we voted to ban gatherings that violate child protection laws," he said.

"In Hungary, a child’s right to healthy physical, mental, intellectual, and moral development comes first. We won’t let woke ideology endanger our kids," he added.

Protests in Parliament

During the vote in Parliament, opposition lawmakers lit smoke flares in the colors of the LGBT flag, played the Russian anthem and spread edited images in Parliament showing Orbán kissing Russian President Vladimir Putin.

It should be noted that more than a decade ago, Russia passed laws banning LGBT parades and even public displays of same-sex affection.

Facial recognition to identify participants and fines

The new law, passed by a majority of 136 votes to 27, also allows authorities to use facial recognition technology to identify those attempting to participate in the event.

Those identified as participants may receive fines of up to 200,000 Hungarian forints (about $546) and the state will allocate that money for "child protection."