Thousands of people are defying a government ban by taking part in a Pride march in the Hungarian capital Budapest on 28 June. The government of right-wing populist Viktor Orban and Budapest police are banning the annual event under a new law banning young people from engaging in non-heterosexual lifestyles.
Instead, Budapest’s mayor, opposition politician Gergely Karacsony, backed the action, declaring it a municipal measure that would not require police approval.
Pride marches, regular annual events in many Western cities, are an occasion to assert the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people.
Orban’s initiatives have sparked protests in Hungary. The European Union and human rights groups have also condemned his actions.
“We are not just defending our interests … If this law is not repealed, Eastern Europe could face a wave of similar measures,” said march organiser Victoria Radvany.
On 27 June, Orban warned participants to be careful of “legal consequences”. He said police would not “disperse” the march.
Participants could face fines of up to $580 and organisers could face up to a year in prison. Authorities may use facial recognition technology to identify participants.
However, Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony insisted that participants are not being repressed.
“The police have only one task tomorrow, and it is a serious one: to guarantee the safety of Hungarian and European citizens attending the event,” he said during a briefing with EU Equality Commissioner Hajja Lahbib on 27 June.
Hungary’s justice minister threatened Karacsonyi with a year in prison for helping to organise the event. The minister also warned foreign embassies in Budapest to inform their citizens about the ban on the event.
About 35,000 people are expected to take part in the 30th Pride march in Budapest. It was supposed to start at 14:00 CET (that’s 15:00 Kiev time) outside the Budapest City Council building.
Dozens of European lawmakers and ministers from several EU countries are attending the event to express solidarity with the participants.