Earlier this year, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban amended the constitution to ban the country's Pride parade—an action critics view as part of his broader culture war strategy aimed at reviving his declining political support. However, the move has so far failed to produce the desired political gains.
Thousands of people from Hungary and around Europe - including government officials, lawmakers and diplomats - have signaled on social media that they’ll be in Budapest on Saturday for the annual gathering celebrating LGBTQ identity. They’ll be flouting a police ban, transforming the event into an act of defiance against Orban’s attempt to scapegoat minorities and silence dissent, News.Az reports citing foreign media.
The capital’s opposition mayor, Gergely Karacsony, who’s co-organizing the event, expects the 30th Pride parade to be the biggest yet. It will be held under the broader theme of celebrating freedom, in a country where democratic backsliding after 15 years of increasingly authoritarian rule has led to frequent clashes with the European Union.
Speaking on state radio on Friday, Orban said organizers and participants will face legal consequences - most likely fines - but police won’t use force to break up the march. France, Germany and the UK were among 33 foreign missions that had signed a joint statement in support of the right to hold Pride in Budapest.
“In Europe, marching for your rights is a fundamental freedom,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement late Wednesday, calling on Hungarian authorities to allow people to take part “without fear of any criminal or administrative sanctions.”
The parade will begin in front of City Hall at 2 p.m. in Budapest and then loop around the city, crossing the Danube on Liberty Bridge before settling on the bank of the river. Live music and a drag show will follow speeches, according to the program.
