Hungary passed a new harsh constitutional amendment that bans LGBTQ+ events, despite strong protests by opposition politicians and civil society, in a new step in Viktor Orbán’s crackdown on fundamental rights.
The amendment incorporates elements of a similar law that the Fidesz-KDNP coalition government approved in March. That law banned public events by LGBTQ+ communities, including Pride-related parades.
The constitutional amendment makes it more difficult to repel the law. In order to pass, it needed two thirds of the votes from the Hungarian parliament. MPs voted following party lines, thus ensuring that it passed, with 140 votes in favour and 21 against.
Protests, both inside the parliament and outside, marred the vote. Before the vote, opposition politicians and activists tried to block access to the parliament garage and tied themselves together but were physically removed by police. Some opposition members tried to disrupt the vote using air horns during the vote.
Included in the amendment is the authorisation to use facial recognition tools to identify participants in illegal pro-LGBTQ+ parades, with a possible fine of up to 200,000 Hungarian forints. Such tools have been used for years, but now, this amendment makes its use more explicit and potentially widespread.
Even more sinisterly, the amendment includes suspending citizenship for up to ten years for Hungarians with dual citizenship outside the European Economic Area if considered a threat to public order and security. This is another example of Orbán’s crackdown on what he deemed a negative foreign influence on Hungary. Lastly, the new amendment also affirms that the constitution recognises only two sexes.
The government presented the amendment as necessary to protect children, stating that children’s rights to moral, physical and spiritual development are above any other right. Orbán, in recent years, stepped up his crusade against LGBTQ+ communities. Many critics pointed out that the recent interventionism on the issue is due to a general lack of support for Fidesz ahead of the next general election in 2026 as a means to mobilise its base and distract public opinion.
