EU ambassadors attend banned Budapest Pride march
The LGBT march was led by the Mayor of Budapest with his wife.
Despite the official ban and tightening of legislation, the Budapest Pride parade took place in Hungary with the participation of the Mayor of Budapest and various cities of the EU, as well as thousands of LGBT supporters from all over Europe. This was reported by several Hungarian media outlets, including HVG and 444.hu.
It is noted that the police did not hinder the event in Budapest, focusing their efforts on preventing possible clashes between Pride marchers and counter-protesters.
At the beginning of the procession was, among others, the Mayor of Budapest, Gergely Karácsony, with his wife. The event was attended by ambassadors from many countries. According to local media, they did not walk with the column but stood nearby. The Swedish eco-activist Greta Thunberg was also spotted in the crowd.
Among the march opponents were Our Homeland and 64 Counties Youth Movements which blocked the Liberty Bridge. This forced the police to change the parade route to avoid conflicts.
According to the parade organizers, their event was attended by more than 100,000 people.
On the stage where the procession arrived, the mayors of several European cities – Brussels, London, Paris, Oslo, Vienna, Milan, Utrecht, and Frankfurt – delivered speeches.
The ban on holding a gay parade in the city center was introduced for the first time in 30 years following changes to the constitution and the law on assemblies, signed by President Tamás Schüjök. The new norms prioritize children's rights and restrict public events that demonstrate deviations from gender identity, sex change, or homosexuality. High fines are provided for violating the law, and the police warned of the possibility of charges against the organizers.
To circumvent the ban, the mayor of Budapest declared that the city would hold the pride in the format of a municipal event in support of freedom, which does not require permission.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated on Friday that although the police could disperse the LGBT pride as a prohibited event, they would not do so.
As reported by the UOJ, the Hungarian parliament voted to ban gay parades in the country. Later, more than 20 EU countries condemned Hungary for banning LGBT propaganda among children.
