Cliff Notes – Thousands of marchers defy police ban at Budapest Pride
- Tens of thousands attended the Budapest Pride march, with estimates ranging from 100,000 to 200,000 participants, despite a police ban imposed by Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government.
- The event, now seen as a symbol of resistance against civil rights repression, was declared a municipal event by Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony, which invalidated the police ban.
- Over 30 embassies showed solidarity with the march, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reinforced the importance of upholding equality and non-discrimination within EU member states.
Thousands of marchers defy police ban at Budapest Pride
Tens of thousands LGBTQ+ rights supporters took part in the Budapest Pride march on Saturday, in defiance of a police ban and threats from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
“We believe there are 180,000 to 200,000 people attending,” Pride president Viktoria Radvanyi told the AFP news agency. “It is hard to estimate because there have never been so many people at Budapest Pride.”
Local media sites estimated the crowd to be closer to 100,000, still far more than the previous record turnout of 35,000 people.
Orban has restricted the rights of the LGBTQ+ community over the past few years, and his party’s lawmakers passed a law in March allowing the ban of Pride marches, claiming it was motivated by the need to protect children.
However, Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony declared the Pride parade a municipal event, arguing that this designation exempts it from the assembly law and renders the police ban invalid.