Hungary bans march of human rights activists against homophobia for the first time

Budapest police have denied permission for a march against homophobia and transphobia planned for June 1 by five human rights organizations. Law enforcement officials say the march violates children's rights. At the same time, most EU countries are condemning the decision and demanding that the European Commission take strict measures against Hungary, Bloomberg and Politico report.

The police cited a recent amendment to the Hungarian Constitution, which prioritizes children's rights to "proper physical, mental and moral development" over most other freedoms.

These changes, supported by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, took effect in April.

The Hungarian Helsinki Committee, one of the organizers of the banned march along with Amnesty International Hungary, said it would appeal the police actions.

Human rights activists say the decision demonstrates "arbitrary political bias in suppressing dissenting voices and stifling public debate."

At the same time, 14 EU countries, including France and Germany, have appealed to the European Commission to take strict measures against Hungary to force it to lift the ban on Pride.

The countries' statement said that a series of Hungarian laws that threaten organizers and participants of LGBTQ+ events with fines under the guise of protecting children "contradict the fundamental values of human dignity, freedom, equality and respect for human rights, as enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union."

As Politico notes, Hungarians held their first march against homophobia and transphobia back in 1997, and it has been held regularly since then.

Almost three decades later, Orbán's government made Hungary the first EU country to ban the march nationwide.

• On February 14, 2025, Hungary blocked the start of the first stage of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the European Union on the rule of law, called "Fundamentals".
• On May 2, Orban stated that Ukraine's accession to the EU would supposedly destroy the Hungarian economy, and explained the current problems in the country's economy by the influence of the Russian-Ukrainian war .
• On May 13, it became known that the European Union is discussing ways to stop Hungary's blocking of the start of negotiations on Ukraine's membership in the organization.