Magyar’s predecessor, right-wing prime minister Viktor Orbán, was known for his government. suppress LGBTQ+ rights. Early 2025The Hungarian Parliament passed a law that eventually led to the banning of the Budapest Pride parade.
Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony, a political opponent of Orbán and a Green politician, however, found a legal loophole and continued to protest last year despite the ban. More than 100,000 people attended, including several European politicians and critics of the Orbán government.
Christmas was later charged in defiance of the government’s ban, but the court adjourned the case in March. Last monththe EU’s top court threw out Orbán’s anti-LGBTQ government ruling.
Karácsony welcomed the non-banning of the pride parade this year. “This is the right decision. It shows that, despite the political climate of the last decade and a half, the culture of freedom in Hungary has endured,” he told POLITICO on Friday.
“It shows that there are still people who have the courage to stand firm. It shows that what is clearly true cannot be hidden by dishonest statements,” he added.
Vula Tsetsi, co-chair of the European Green Party, told POLITICO: “We are very happy with this. It is a sign of hope for democracy and fundamental rights in Hungary after years of attacks against the LGBTQI+ community.”
The meeting is scheduled for June 27.
