Hungarians stand up against Pride ban by Orban

A reform banning a Pride festival and allowing police to use facial recognition technology to track down LGBT activists has sparked fury in Hungary.

Opposition MPs light flares in parliament to protest against the Pride ban. Picture: AP.

Thousands of Hungarians have joined rallies in protest against a government reform banning Budapest’s Pride festival and giving police powers to track down LGBT rights demonstrators using facial recognition technology.

Opposition MPs set off multi-coloured smoke bombs in parliament as the authoritarian government used its supermajority to ban gay rights events from public spaces.

The organisers of the Hungarian Pride movement called the legislation “fascism” and liberal politicians characterised it as another lurch towards a repressive polity reminiscent of Russia under President Vladimir Putin.

“If we can’t assemble freely, what will happen next?” David Bedo, leader of the centrist Momentum party, asked protesters outside parliament. “This is such a strong step towards Putin’s Russia that we simply can’t allow it.”

The amendment to the law on freedom of assembly, which was passed on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT) by 136 of the 199 MPs in the National Assembly, relies on an existing “child protection” act from 2021 that criminalises the publication of information about LGBT topics where children might see it, such as in books or on daytime television.

The European Commission, which is taking legal action against Hungary over the 2021 act, publicly took the side of the Pride festival. “Our union is one of freedom and equality,” Hadja Lahbib, the equality and crisis management commissioner, said. “The right to gather peacefully is a fundamental right to be championed across the European Union. We stand with the LGBTQI community – in all member states.”

Under Viktor Orban, the Prime Minister who has governed since 2010, Hungary has promoted the traditional heterosexual family and legislated against sexual minorities, starting with a ban on same-sex marriage.

The latest reform introduces fines for anyone who organises or attends a public event deemed to promote homosexuality to children. It also lets police identify those who participate using facial recognition software.

Janos Lazar, the Transport Minister, said that although Hungarians were free to do as they wished in private, “Pride is a public affair: it offends and provokes, and it must be banned as soon as possible to protect children.”

Critics argue that the legislation is intended as a distraction from Mr Orban’s travails. He and his Fidesz party are under pressure and with a parliamentary election set to be held early next year, Tisza, led by a former Orban ally, Peter Magyar, leads the polls.

The organisers of Pride described the reform as an attempt to unleash “another wave of hatred” against the LGBT rights movement and create a scapegoat for Hungary’s problems.

THE TIMES