In a notable act of authoritarian overreach, the Budapest police have banned this year’s LGBTQI march planned for 1 June, marking the first use of Hungary’s new Kremlin-inspired “anti-Pride” law to impede a peaceful demonstration. Indeed, the Hungarian law is very similar to the 2013 Russian anti-LGBTQ law. Human rights organisations, including Amnesty International Hungary, Háttér Society, the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, Rainbow Mission Foundation, and the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, condemned the ban as a politically motivated violation of the right to peaceful assembly.
During his State of the Nation address on 22 February 2025, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán remarked that “the Pride organisers should not bother preparing this year’s parade.” Shortly after, on 18 March, Parliament adopted a new anti-Pride law that allows authorities to ban assemblies conflicting with the 2021 anti-LGBTQI Propaganda Law, which restricts the representation of “divergence from self-identity corresponding to sex at birth, sex change, or homosexuality” to those under 18.
The law also empowers the use of facial recognition technology against participants in assemblies that are banned. On 14 April 2025, an amendment to the Fundamental Law prioritised children’s rights over other fundamental rights, providing a basis for prohibiting assemblies deemed to violate those rights.
Despite these changes, just days before the ban, the police had allowed a similar LGBTQI rights demonstration. This contradiction suggests that the decision to ban the 1 June march was politically motivated. The police justified their actions by claiming the event mirrored previous Pride demonstrations. This decision contradicts statements made by Hungary’s EU Minister, János Bóka, who stated that “there is no such thing in Hungary as a Pride ban.”
“The aim of the demonstration is to speak up against the prevalent trans- and homophobia, to stand up for equal rights for the LGBTQI community and to draw attention to the fact that the infamous Section 33 outlawed legal gender recognition for trans people five years ago,” the organisers explained in a press release.
“The organisations have indicated in advance that the march will be peaceful, its aim is solely to raise awareness of the rights of LGBTQI people and to stand up for equality. The decision illustrates how arbitrary the application of the law is: the newly introduced restriction on the freedom of assembly aims to silence people and communities arbitrarily selected by the government and only allows public discourse on matters condoned by the ruling majority.
“By banning the event, the State discriminatorily restricts one of the most fundamental democratic rights: the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression. The decision implies that any kind of assembly can be held, except those that remind the police of the Pride March. What considerations are weighed in the decision-making, it is unknown. Such blatant arbitrariness by the authorities puts us all at risk, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, as they can now ban any community or opinion that the government finds uncomfortable for political reasons under the guise of ‘child protection’ – without any legal or scientific justification.”
“As human rights organisations, we work for the freedom of all of us and for a country where everyone can live safely. Amnesty International Hungary, Háttér Society, Hungarian Helsinki Committee, Rainbow Mission Foundation and the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union will not rest: we will challenge the police decision in court and will work with even more vigour to push the case forward, which could be the first step to getting the law, known as the “Pride ban”, struck down in national or international courts. Either way, Budapest Pride will happen. We believe that this case will pave the way for it, and everything can go back to the old 30-year tradition, which is marked by constructive cooperation between the organisers and the police.“
“Monday’s decision will not discourage the organisers of the Budapest Pride march: the march will be held, it will be bigger than ever. Indeed, it is precisely this case that allows us to develop the legal arguments that can defend Budapest Pride. Let us stand together for a free, equal and safe country for all and meet on 28 June at the Budapest Pride march!”
