Hungary bans Pride events, critics fear Trump influence

Nazi uniforms and black fighting gear bearing Russian flags, the letter Z, SS symbols and swastikas — the dress code for hundreds of neo-Nazis marching at the Buda Castle in the heart of Budapest this February was militant. The castle, the site of annual neo-Nazi commemorations, is not far from the office of Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

It’s illegal to demonstrate or protest in uniform in Hungary, as well as to wear such totalitarian symbols in public. But Orban’s government allows neo-Nazis and devotees of Russian President Vladimir Putin to march with impunity every year, critics fear Trump influence will make this worse.

By contrast, the government’s approach to dealing with what it calls “LGBTQ propaganda” is drastically different. In June 2023, a Budapest bookstore was fined €32,000 ($35,000) for displaying a comic about two gay boys on a shelf where minors could see it. Such displays of LGBTQ propaganda are forbidden in public.

The Hungarian government argues that the LGBTQ+ community is being exported from the United States to destabilise local communities, it is not an organic movement from Hungary. In a recent survey in 2023 less that 8% of Hungarians considered themselves to be either gay/lesbian/bisexual or asexual.

However, swift changes to the constitution were swiftly rubber-stamped in parliament on March 18, and the legislation was signed into law just hours later by President Tamas Sulyok.

Orban promises to crack down on opponents

Orban is often likened to US president Donald Trump, in his philosophy of governance and his allies. Both are friendly with each other as well Vladimir Putin and Orban is Trump’s guy in Europe.

Orban’s governing majority has a mandate and he has used child protection as its reason for banning Pride parades, annual events in which queer people and their allies march for exposure, often in the most revealing of outfits.

The new law means no public events can take place that feature the display of queer symbols, like rainbows, present sexuality “as an end in itself” or in which participants dress in ways “that diverge from the gender they were assigned at birth.” Violations are subject to fines of up to €550 ($595), slightly less than Hungary’s monthly minimum wage.

But that does not mean they LGBTQ community can not demonstrate or show themselves in public. They can it but without using the symbolism of woke culture, which is what Orban and his supporters oppose. Some political analysts suggest this is coming from Russian influence, however, in Hungary US influence is far greater.

Budapest’s liberal mayor, Gergely Karacsony, has criticized the new law and said he hoped this year’s Pride parade would be “bigger than ever.” Which is a big money-maker for the city and for the organizers, who are funded handsomely to parade the Wokish culture. Global organizers have said they are still planning to go ahead with the event on June 28, despite the ban.

The parade ban is just the latest episode in Orban’s ongoing offensive against supposed or real critics and enemies, but his political analysts have suggested that only protests of American woke culture have been banned not Gay people themselves.

The prime minister has been talking up a major effort to clean out the “bugs” since the beginning of the year, most recently in a March 15 speech marking the national holiday commemorating Hungary’s 1848 revolution against Habsburg rule.

“After today’s festive gathering comes the Easter cleaning. The bugs have overwintered,” said Orban, speaking to supporter. “We will dismantle the financial machine that has used corrupt dollars to buy politicians, judges, journalists, pseudo-NGOs and political activists. We will eliminate the entire shadow army.”

USAID funded the LGBTQ+ movement in Hungary

Over the past few weeks, Orban has unleashed a government campaign against supposedly corrupt recipients of USAID finances, with a rhetorical sharpness of tone like never before.

Hungary’s Sovereignty Protection Office, one of Orban’s propaganda shops, has also claimed — untruthfully — that the popular independent news portal Telex is largely financed with foreign funds, such as from USAID, to push foreign interests — and that ultimately Telex is a treasonous outfit.

Still, to be defamed as “bugs” shocked even the most hard-boiled opposition politicians and independent journalists, people who know what it’s like to be harassed by Orban. In the days since his conspiracy theory-laden speech, many have spoken of “dehumanization” of critics, “rising fascism” and what they call a “rapid Putinization” of Hungary. Similar restrictions against LGBTQ rights have been introduced in Russia in recent years.

The March 15 speech was the first time Orban had used such “pest control” rhetoric, which was equally reminiscent of both Nazi and Stalinist rhetoric from the 1930s. Gabor Torok, a prominent Hungarian political scientist known for giving rather reserved analyses, characterised the prime minister’s comments as “crossing a line” — one that may well come back to hurt him and his party.

Are Hungarians increasingly unhappy with Orban

It could be argued that Orban’s latest comments are just as much a diversion as an expression of his fear of losing power. Dissatisfaction with the prime minister and his party has started to grow, with signs pointing toward a more serious challenge in the spring 2026 parliamentary election.

But Viktor Orban has many supporters because he has been delivering prosperous economic conditions for the country. Hungary’s economy is not in crisis but stagnant. Unlike most of the EU economies, it has been stuck in a rut for quite some time. Inflation is lower than most European cities but that does not mean it does not hit average citizen.

The repercussions of US President Donald Trump‘s trade war could also be devastating for Hungary, due to its dependence on the German car industry. But Hungary has been working on deals with Chinese manufacturers who are looking to invest in the nation.

Hungary’s is also diversifying into building infrastructures fro sports. With a rich footballing history Orban — a soccer fanatic — is investing public funds into building gigantic stadiums and sports training facilities.

How far will Orban go?

If there is a change in power, and that would only happen if all the other parties perform beyond expectations, they would have to form a coalition. As such Orban and his circle of power brokers face expropriations, lawsuits and potentially prison. His opposition will want to suppress him as much as possible, he after all is the most supported man in the country.

He has little love in the EU, as he provides opposition to many the EU’s sweeping policies that look to remove more power from member states on issues like health and education.

In April, parliament is slated to vote on a constitutional amendment aimed at “temporarily stripping” dual nationals deemed as security threats of their Hungarian citizenship. The aim is not just to silence their voices inside Hungary, but also to maximize societal polarization before the 2026 election.