In the picture

Press release: Let the Hungarian Pride March.

published on 26 June 2025

Under the watchful eye of democratic Europe, the “forbidden Pride” will take place this Saturday, June 28, in Budapest. Following yet another restrictive law undermining the rights of Hungarian LGBTQIA+ people, the mayor of Budapest is openly challenging Viktor Orbán by framing the event as a municipal gathering.

A brief history of LGBTQIA+ rights under Viktor Orbán.

Once seen as a relatively progressive country, Hungary made a radical turn when Viktor Orbán came to power in 2010.

In 2011, his party Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Alliance – passed a new constitution that excluded any possibility of same-sex marriage or recognition of rainbow families. In 2020, further laws were adopted that prohibited adoption by same-sex couples, deepening the legal exclusion of LGBTQIA+ families. That same year, Article 33 was amended to define gender as “biological sex based on birth and genome,” effectively banning legal recognition of transgender and intersex people. On April 14, 2025, the Parliament intensified its crusade by passing a constitutional amendment declaring that only male and female genders exist.

In 2021, the notorious “propaganda law” was passed, severely restricting discussion or representation of LGBTQIA+ people in schools and the media. The goal of this law is to erase LGBTQIA+ individuals from public life, reinforce negative stereotypes, and deny young people access to essential information about their identity.

On March 18 of this year, the Hungarian Parliament approved a bill prohibiting the “organization of gatherings in violation” of the 2021 law. The bill also imposes fines of €500 on participants and grants authorities the power to use facial recognition technology to identify and target them.

Europe speaks out, and the mayor of Budapest resists.

Around twenty European countries, including Belgium, have called on the European Commission to impose sanctions on the Hungarian government in order to halt the authoritarian drift and the systematic dismantling of LGBTQIA+ rights. Human rights organizations such as Amnesty International have launched a protest campaign under the slogan #letpridemarch.

Despite this, on June 19, the Hungarian police announced that the Budapest Pride March was banned under the March 18 law. The green mayor of Budapest, Gergely Karácsony, responded immediately, stating that the Pride is a municipal event and thus does not require special authorization. The Budapest Pride will therefore take place on Saturday, June 28.

Brussels Pride and RainbowHouse Brussels take action wherever the far right strikes!

In 2025, Brussels Pride, under the theme “United, time to protect our freedom, rights,” called for the effective application of the European Convention on Human Rights in all EU member states. The president of Budapest Pride, Viktória Radványi, and the mayor of Budapest were our guests at the Pride March on May 17.

And this Saturday, numerous members of associations within RainbowHouse Brussels will join them in Budapest to ensure that Budapest Pride upholds the rights and freedom of assembly of LGBTQIA+ people throughout the year.