Thousands march on LGBT+ rights in Hungary even after prohibition

Protesters ignored prison threats to march in Budapest for rights, turning event into a large mass protest against the Viktor Orbán government participating in the LGBT+ demonstration in Budapest. Pride stop in the capital of Hungary was prohibited. Lisa Leutner/Reuters dozens of thousands of protesters marched through the capital of Hungary on Saturday (28), when a manifestation for LGBT+ rights that was banned by the Viktor Orbán government became a mass protest against Hungary Prime Minister management. Crowds crowded a square near Budapest City Hall before walking around the city, some shaking flags with the rainbows colors, others carrying posters mocking the Prime Minister. “This is much more than just homosexuality … This is the last time to defend our rights,” said Eszter Rein Bodi, one of the protesters. “None of us is free until everyone is free,” said a poster. Activist Linus Lewandowski, founder of the LGBT+ Homokomando Polish Group of Rights, holds a flag in the Pride of Budapest Pride, which was forbidden. Bernadett Szabo/Reuters Small groups of far-right counter-modifestants tried to disturb the parade, but the police kept them away and deflected the journey route to avoid confrontation. Orbán’s nationalist government gradually restricted the rights of the LGBT+ community over the past decade, and its legislators approved in March a law that allows the prohibition of pride marches, claiming the need to protect children. Opponents see the measure as part of a broader repression of democratic freedoms before next year’s national elections, when Orbán will face a strong opposition opponent. The organizers said participants came from 30 different countries, including 70 members of the European Parliament. More than 30 embassies expressed support for the March and the president of the European Commission, Ursula Von Der Leyen, asked the Hungarian authorities to allow the parade. Seventy groups of Hungarian civil society, including the Hungarian Union of Civil Freedoms, International Transparency Hungary and the Hungarian Commission of Helsinquia, published an open letter on Friday (27) in support of the March, stating that the law that led to the police ban “serves to intimidate the whole society.” Thousands went to the streets in Budapest in a manifestation for LGBT+rights, which also became a protest against the government of Viktor Orban. Bernadett Szabo/Reuters “Legal Consequences” “The right of meeting is a basic human right and I don’t think it should be forbidden. Just because someone doesn’t like why you go to the street, or don’t agree with him, you still have the right to do so,” said Krisztina Aranyi, another march participant. Budapest mayor Gergely Karacyy tried to circumvent the law organizing the march as a municipal event, which, according to him, does not need authorization. However, the police banned the event, arguing that it fits in the context of the Child Protection Act. Orbán, whose government promotes a conservative Christian agenda, gave some clues on Friday about what participants can expect when they warned of “legal consequences” for those who organize and participate in the march. Earlier this week, Justice Minister Bence Tuzson warned in a letter sent to some foreign embassies in Budapest that organizing a forbidden event is punishable by a year in prison, while participating is considered a misdemeanor. The law that allows the prohibition of pride allows police to impose fines and use face recognition cameras to identify the participating people. When asked about the threat of a year in prison, Karacsony said at a press conference on Friday that such a sentence would only increase its popularity. Mayor of Budapest Gergely Karacyry participates in LGBT+rights demonstration, which became a protest against the government of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Lisa Leutner/Reuters “But I can’t take it seriously,” he said. Making the march a central theme of political discourse allowed Orbán’s government to resume the initiative of opposition and mobilize its electoral base, said Zoltan Novak, an analyst at the Think Tank Center for Fair Political Analysis. “Over the past 15 years, Fidesz has decided which themes dominated the political world,” he said, noting that this has become more difficult as Orbán’s party faced a growing challenge of the Centro-right-wing opposition leader Peter Magyar, which has a 15-point advantage over Orbán’s fides on recent research. Tisza, which has avoided taking a firm position on homosexual rights issues, did not specify in response to Reuters’ questions, it was believed that the march of pride was legal, but said participants deserved the protection of the state. “Peter Magyar asked the Hungarian authorities and police to protect the Hungarian people this Saturday, and also on other days, even if it means facing the arbitrariness of power,” said his press office. Magyar himself would not attend.

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