On 18 March, Hungary’s Parliament passed a law banning Pride events in the country and allowing police to use facial recognition software to identify attendees.
The decision is the latest in a crackdown by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s populist government on the country's LBGTQ+ community and other minorities.
Under the new law, pushed through Parliament in an accelerated procedure after being submitted a day earlier, it is an offence to hold or attend events that violate the country's contentious "child protection" legislation, which prohibits the "depiction or promotion" of homosexuality to anyone aged under 18.
Members of Parliament from ALDE Party member Momentum Mozgalom protested the decision in the National Assembly by lighting up flares and staging a demonstration on Kossuth Lajos Square, in front of the Parliament’s building.
“In recent days, the nationalist regime that rules our country has taken another step towards Belarusianisation. The veto of common EU defence loans and the restriction of the law on assembly are pushing Hungary towards Putin's world. As we have learned from the last 15 years of Orbanism, this is only the beginning,” said Momentum leader Márton Tompos.
For almost 30 years, Budapest Pride has been a European tradition where Hungary’s LGBTQIA+ community has marched in the streets together with their supporters.
“The LGBTQ community has been a target of attacks by the governing parties for years. It would never occur to a democratic leader to restrict the fundamental rights of those who disagree with him. We ask Orbán's government: how will they guarantee that all Hungarian citizens, including LGBTQ people, can live and protest freely? If they cannot ensure this, it is an admission of their own incompetence,” said a Budapest Pride statement.