Hungary's parliament passed a law on Tuesday prohibiting the annual Pride march by LGBTQ+ communities, prompting a demonstration on a central Budapest bridge in opposition to the swift enactment of the changes by Prime Minister Viktor Orban's ruling Fidesz party.
Fidesz, with a significant parliamentary majority, introduced a bill on Monday aimed at banning the Pride march, citing potential harm to children, and swiftly approved the legislation on Tuesday.
Protesters gathered outside parliament to denounce the changes before moving to Margaret Bridge, where thousands of demonstrators protested, chanting "Assembly is a fundamental right" in front of a police cordon.
Orban, facing an unprecedented challenge from a new opposition party in the 2026 election, has been critical of the LGBTQ+ community and has recently targeted foreign funding of independent media and NGOs in Hungary.
The law drew criticism from Budapest's liberal mayor, and during the parliamentary session, lawmakers from the opposition party Momentum protested by lighting smoke flares and distributing manipulated photos showing Orban and Russian President Vladimir Putin kissing.
Despite the ban, organizers have stated their intention to proceed with this year's Pride march.
Additionally, parliament passed a resolution rejecting joint European borrowing for defense, following Orban's announcement last week that Hungary would participate in a common European defense policy but refrain from joint borrowing.
The European Commission proposed earlier this month to borrow up to 150 billion euros ($163.67 billion) to loan to EU governments as part of a rearmament plan.
The proposal requires approval by a qualified majority, necessitating at least 15 of the EU's 27 countries, representing a minimum of 65% of the bloc's population. Hungary alone cannot veto the plan.
(1 euro = $1.09)