Hungary’s president has signed a new law banning the LGBTQ+ community from holding its annual Pride march, a move proposed by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s ruling party. The law, which also permits authorities to use facial-recognition software to identify participants, makes Hungary the first European Union country to impose a nationwide ban on Pride events. This is the latest in a series of measures targeting LGBTQ+ rights in the country.

It follows the 2020 introduction of the ‘Child Protection Act’, which equates LGBTQ+ identities with paedophilia, censors sex education, blocks same-sex couples from adopting children, and restricts LGBTQ+ representation in the media. Critics say these policies mirror Russia’s crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights.

Orbán’s government has faced growing condemnation for its nationalist-populist policies, which align closely with those of Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump. Irish Tánaiste Simon Harris has said he is “alarmed” by the decision to ban Pride events, vowing that Ireland will continue to “stand up for those targeted by such regressive measures.” He emphasised that the EU is built on fundamental values that all member states are obliged to uphold.

Outright International has also condemned the move, calling on Hungary to “immediately repeal this discriminatory law and uphold its obligations under international human rights law, including the European Convention on Human Rights and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.”

Following the announcement, thousands of protesters gathered outside Hungary’s parliament in Budapest. They later marched to Margaret Bridge over the Danube.

There will also be a protest taking place in Dublin on Friday, March 21, at 1pm outside the Hungarian Embassy in solidarity with Hungary’s LGBTQ+ community.

 

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Despite the ban, Budapest Pride organisers have declared that their march will go ahead as planned. In a statement on their website, they reaffirmed their commitment to the event, reminding the public that Pride is, at its core, a protest.

“They’ve tried countless times to ban our march and failed. They won’t succeed now either,” the statement read. “In the end, Pride is a demonstration, whether with twenty people or tens of thousands, but it will happen. We’re not just fighting for the Budapest Pride March or the LGBTQ community—we’re fighting for the right of all Hungarians to protest, speak their minds, and stand up for themselves.”  

As tensions rise, Hungary’s crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights has placed the country at odds with the European Union’s core principles, raising questions about the future of democratic freedoms in the nation.