Hungarian authorities have banned an LGBTQ+ pride march planned for this weekend in Budapest, the first time the authorities have invoked a constitutional amendment passed in April that specifically restricts freedom of assembly for LGBTQ+ people.
Bloomberg writes about this.
The amendment also restricts activities that the Hungarian government believes “endanger” children. Budapest police denied permission for a march organized by five human rights organizations.
In banning the demonstration, law enforcement officials cited the fact that an amendment to the Constitution prioritizes childrenʼs rights to "proper physical, mental, and moral development" over most other freedoms.
Now, the organizers of the annual Pride event held in Budapest will not be able to invoke the article on freedom of assembly and expression when the police do not authorize the June event.
How is the EU responding?
Politico, which has read the statement from the European Union countries, writes that most of the blocʼs states want the European Commission to take tough measures against Hungary. The letter was signed by Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia and Sweden. The countries call on Brussels to "immediately use the full range of rule of law tools at its disposal" to force Budapest to relax the ban on the Pride parade.
The statement says 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”.
The text does not specify what steps Brussels should take. But an obvious option would be to impose so-called temporary measures against Hungary — legal restrictions from the EU that force the government to do something, in this case, to allow the Pride march.
Brussels is currently withholding 18 billion euros in EU funds from Hungary over rule of law issues, but has yet to take further action. EU Equality Commissioner Haja Lahbib refused to support the idea of such temporary measures at a meeting last week, according to one participant. If Hungary ignores them, it could lead to fines. Lahbib explained that she does not have enough support from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to push for such action.
One EU official said there was growing support in EU capitals for a radical move to strip Hungary of its voting rights in the EU Council through the Article 7 procedure. For this to happen, four-fifths of the EU, or 22 out of 27, would first have to agree that Hungary has violated the EU treaty. Then, all 26 countries (all but Hungary) would have to vote to strip it of its voting rights on foreign policy or EU enlargement issues.
Another official said that at least 19 countries now support the continuation of this procedure, three fewer than needed to pass the first stage. Two diplomats added that passing the second stage would be even more difficult, as it would require the support of all 26 other countries.
To gather the necessary number of votes, France and Germany must also support the move. Neither country has signed the declaration yet. But that could change, diplomats say. In particular, the German governmentʼs coalition agreement stresses the importance of addressing the rule of law in the EU. For now, France and Germany are simply watching each other, waiting to see who will act first.
Someone also has to convince Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who is likely to side with Hungary.
Ahead of the EU General Affairs Council meeting on May 27, Swedenʼs Europe Minister Jessica Rosenkrantz stressed that patience is running out. She said that after seven years of discussions, the situation has reached an impasse, and unless Hungary demonstrates a completely different approach, these hearings no longer make sense. The time has come to move on to decisive action.
Hungaryʼs policy towards the LGBT community
The Hungarian government has been systematically passing laws that restrict the rights of LGBT people. In 2012, Hungary banned same-sex marriage and later mandated that schools focus on national identity and Christian culture. In 2020, Hungary enacted a law that effectively made it impossible to change gender in the legal space.
On June 15, 2021, the countryʼs parliament passed a law that restricts the right of young people to receive information about homosexuality and transgenderism. The law prohibits books, films and other media for children and young people that show any type of sexuality other than heterosexuality. All types of advertising featuring homosexual or transgender people are also prohibited. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned Hungary that it must repeal the law, calling it a "disgrace".
On August 7, 2021, the Hungarian government restricted the sale of childrenʼs books that feature LGBT themes. The sales location must be at least 200 meters from schools and churches.
The Hungarian Parliament approved anti-LGBTQ+ constitutional amendments on April 14, 2025.
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