Orbán's crackdown: Pride parade banned in Hungary in just two days
24 March 2025
The Hungarian government banned the annual Budapest Pride parade under the veil of child protection. On 18 March, the parliament passed a bill modifying the right of assembly and the country's basic law, prohibiting gatherings that "promote or display any deviation from a person's gender at birth, as well as gender reassignment and homosexuality."
The rainbow parade has been held in Hungary's capital every year since 1997. Now, Orbán's government got rid of it in only two days, leaving no space for objections. According to the new law, organisers and participants of any such event may be fined up to €500 The police can now also use facial recognition software to identify participants.
The measure aroused international outrage. In Hungary, the opposition lit flares in the parliamentary chamber and blasted the Soviet anthem to disrupt the legislation, calling it another step towards becoming like Putin's Russia. Máté Hegedűs, Budapest Pride's organiser, said: "At this point, this is not about child protection, it is fascism. Pride is a movement that cannot be banned."
Despite the restrictions, Budapest mayor, Gergely Karácsony, reassured the Pride's organisers of his support, and promised he would find a way to make the event happen on 28 June.
 | Erik Szilárd Boros Since Donald Trump's comeback as US president, Viktor Orbán and his allies have become emboldened and are now cracking down on the remnants of civil society and free media in Hungary. This latest restriction of a fundamental right fits into the trend of adopting increasingly authoritarian measures to eliminate entities critical of the regime. |
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