Hungary's ruling party introduced a bill in parliament on Monday aiming to prohibit the LGBTQ+ Pride march in Budapest, a three-decade-old event, and instate fines for organizers and participants. Prime Minister Viktor Orban, intensifying his rhetoric against LGBTQ+ individuals, opposition figures, and NGOs, has escalated his campaign before next year's elections. Orban, a nationalist leader facing a growing opposition, has bolstered his attacks on the media and LGBTQ+ community since the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
The proposed bill justifies the ban on the grounds of potentially harming children. It amends the law on assembly rights, stating that any assembly conflicting with child protection laws is prohibited. Additionally, it permits the use of face recognition cameras by police to identify attendees of the march along Andrassy Avenue in Budapest.
Despite Orban's suggestion that Pride should not go ahead this year, organizers, advocating for the event's constitutional significance, assert that it does not pose a danger to children. Pride organizers were not immediately available for comment.
Orban, in office since 2010, advocates for a Christian-conservative platform and, in 2021, enacted a ban on the "promotion of homosexuality" to minors, despite facing backlash from rights groups and the European Union. The Hungarian government justifies its policies as safeguarding children, particularly those in rural areas, where the Fidesz party retains significant support.
The 2021 legislation has stirred apprehension among the LGBTQ+ community in Hungary, leading the European Commission to refer Hungary to the EU's Court of Justice over the matter in 2022.