LGBTQ+ rights supporters from some 30 countries are expected to join the Budapest Pride march on Saturday, defying a police ban imposed under legislation introduced earlier this year that forbids the exposure of young people to non-heterosexual lifestyles.
The annual event has now come to symbolize resistance to a general repression of civil society in Hungary under the nationalist government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, which is facing a growing challenge from center-right opposition leader Peter Magyar’s Tisza party ahead of elections next year.
European support
More than 30 embassies have voiced support for the march, which will also be attended by European Commissioner for Equality Hadja Lahbib and about 70 members of the European Parliament.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called on Hungarian authorities to let the parade go ahead.
“Our Union is one of equality and non-discrimination,” von der Leyen wrote in a statement. She called these “core values” that “must be respected at all times, in all Member States.”
Anyone attending the march, however, risks being accused of a misdemeanor, while organizing such an event could carry the penalty of a one-year jail sentence, according to a letter sent to some foreign embassies in Budapest by Justice Minister Bence Tuzson.
The so-called child-protection legislation that allowed the ban to be imposed also allows police to hand out fines and to use facial recognition technology to identify attendees.
Civil society under pressure in Hungary
Over the past decade, Orban’s government has frequently been at loggerheads with the EU over its increasing repression of civil liberties and press freedoms under the guise of protecting “Christian” values.
The ban on the Pride march is being seen by opponents as part of a wider crackdown on democratic freedoms ahead of next year’s elections, at which Orban’s government is expected to face a stiff challenge from Magyar, whose party has been leading in opinion polls.
The Tisza party, while avoiding taking a strong position on gay rights issues, nonetheless called on the government to protect anyone attending the march.
“Peter Magyar has called on the Hungarian authorities and police to protect the Hungarian people this Saturday, and on other days as well, even if it means standing up against the arbitrariness of power,” its press office said. Magyar himself has not planned to attend.
Edited by: Kieran Burke
