200,000 turn out for ‘illegal’ rally in Hungary’s capital

Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets in a famous European city despite the government trying to ban it.

Residents of a major European city have defied the orders of their far-right Prime Minister to attend a protest which had been outlawed by the government.

Organisers estimated that 200,000 people marched through Budapest, Hungary for its annual pride parade despite being threatened with legal action by nationalist leader Viktor Orban,

Hungary’s government this year amended laws and the constitution to prohibit the event, citing “child protection” to justify its years-long clampdown on LGBT rights.

Under new laws the “depiction or promotion” of homosexuality to under 18s became an offence, in what Amnesty International called a “full frontal attack” on LGBT people.

Mr Orban said on Friday that while police would not break up the Pride march, those who took part should be aware of “legal consequences”.

The laws empowered authorities to use facial-recognition technology to identify those taking part, and cameras had recently been installed on lamp posts along the parade route.

The LGBT community defied the ban on the streets of Budapest. Picture: Janos Kummer/Getty Images

Parade organisers risked up to one year in prison, and attendees faced fines up to 500 euros ($897).

But after the Budapest Mayor stepped in to co-host the event – making it an official council event – it drew a record crowd and dwarfed the previous expectation of 35,000 people.

“We believe there are 180,000 to 200,000 people attending,” the president of Pride, Viktória Radványi told AFP.

“It is hard to estimate because there have never been so many people at Budapest Pride.”

Gergely Karacsony, Mayor of Budapest, speaks on the stage during the Budapest Pride. Picture: Janos Kummer/Getty Images

One participant, 66-year-old Zoltan, said he was “proud to be gay and I am very scared that the government wants to bring us down”.

“I am very surprised that there are so many people, I want to cry,” he added.

Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs in a post on X after the march claimed the opposition staged the parade “at Brussels’ command”.

“With Pride, the opposition incited against laws they don’t like, mocked Hungary’s sovereignty, and – with foreign backing – tried to force woke culture onto us,” he wrote.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been accused of undermining democracy. Picture: John Thys/AFP

Earlier this week, European Union (EU) chief Ursula von der Leyen called on the Hungarian authorities to reverse the ban.

Thirty-three nations, including most EU countries, have also released a statement in support of the march.

Since Mr Orban’s return to power in 2010, the country of 9.6 million people has been steadily rolling back LGBT rights.

The event was first expected to draw 35,000. Picture: Janos Kummer/Getty Images

Participants cross the Elisabeth Bridge. Picture: Janos Kummer/Getty Images

It is the first EU nation to ban a Pride march, and Mr Orban has said he has been emboldened by the anti-diversity push by US President Donald Trump.

Opposition leader Peter Magyar said on Facebook that the government “scored not a goal, but a huge own goal with their attempt to ban today’s event”.

“Freedom and love can’t be banned,” read one huge poster put up near city hall, the gathering point for the march.