This is what happens when a homophobic government passes a law to ban a Pride parade… up to 200,000 turn up to give the ban the finger.
In the shadow of escalating political tensions and a stringent crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights, Budapest Pride marked its 30th anniversary by becoming an extraordinary act of defiance against Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government this weekend. Drawing an unprecedented crowd estimated between 180,000 and 200,000 participants, the event stood as Hungary’s largest LGBTQ+ gathering, swelling far beyond previous records with marchers coming from over 30 countries. What might have been a mere celebration instead transformed into a profound statement of resistance—underscoring not only the fight for LGBTQ+ rights but also for democratic freedoms amid growing authoritarianism.
Budapest, a pioneer among Central and Eastern European capitals, first held a Pride parade in 1997, symbolising early progressive strides in the region. However, the political tide has dramatically shifted since Orbán’s Fidesz party ascended to power 15 years ago. Under his administration, Hungary has systematically rolled back LGBTQ+ legal protections, embedding conservative Christian family values into the constitution. This legal framework bans same-sex marriage, same-sex adoption, and prohibits the depiction or promotion of homosexuality or gender transition to minors in educational materials and media. The government’s “child protection” laws have intensified to outlaw events promoting LGBTQ+ themes, with this year’s legislation even empowering facial recognition technology to identify and penalise attendees of banned assemblies like Pride.
Faced with a formal ban on the 2025 parade and threats of fines up to €500 or imprisonment for organisers, opposition forces, activists, and international politicians rallied in solidarity. Budapest’s liberal Mayor, Gergely Karácsony, ingeniously sidestepped the prohibition by declaring the Pride a municipal event under city hall’s aegis—a status exempt from state bans requiring police approval. The city also deployed its own security, supplemented by private guards, to ensure participant safety against far-right counter-protests sanctioned by police permits. The march proceeded peacefully beneath a clear sky, vibrant with rainbow flags, bearing the slogan “We are at home,” a firm assertion of the LGBTQ+ community’s indigenous place in Hungary rather than an imported ideology.
The government’s reaction was sharp and politically charged. Orbán castigated the parade as ‘repulsive and shameful,’ accusing the European Union and opposition politicians of orchestrating the event to undermine Hungary’s sovereignty and traditional values—a claim lacking public evidence but underscoring his framing of the LGBTQ+ community as a scapegoat akin to migrants. This dispute plays into the larger political landscape, as Orbán faces waning support before the upcoming national elections. His strategy appears aimed at forcing opposition leaders to stake positions on contentious cultural issues, potentially fracturing opposition unity and galvanising conservative rural voters.
European institutions, long hesitant to confront Orbán, have stepped up their rhetoric following the Pride events. The European Commission president called for the parade’s allowance, while more than 70 members of the European Parliament marched in support. EU officials stressed that the denial of assembly rights and the use of facial recognition surveillance breach fundamental EU values centred on human dignity, pluralism, and non-discrimination. The parade’s scale and solidarity signal an intensification of the clash between Budapest’s illiberal governance and the bloc’s democratic norms.
Source: Noah Wire Services
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