BUDAPEST - Hungary’s president has signed a law proposed by Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s ruling party that will ban LGBTQ+ communities from holding their annual Pride march, defying criticism by human rights organisations that it restricts freedom of assembly.
Protesters blocked a bridge in central Budapest on Tuesday night after parliament passed the measure, fast-tracking a law proposed by Orban’s right-wing Fidesz party on Monday.
President Tamas Sulyok, a former Constitutional Court chief who was elected to the largely ceremonial position a year ago by the Fidesz parliamentary majority, signed the law. His office did not reply to Reuters questions on Wednesday.
The law bans Pride on the grounds that it could be considered harmful to children. It also says police can use facial recognition cameras to identify people who attend the event, and impose fines on participants.
Orban, who is dealing with a struggling economy and an unprecedented challenge from a new opposition party ahead of a 2026 election, has long been critical of the LGBT community.
His policies often put him at odds with the rest of the European Union. Hadja Lahbib, the European Union commissioner for equality, said on X that “the right to gather peacefully is a fundamental right to be championed across the European Union”.
Michael O’Flaherty, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, said he was “very concerned” about the new law and urged Sulyok to veto it.
Budapest’s liberal mayor, Gergely Karacsony, also criticised the law and said this year’s Pride “could be bigger than ever”. Organisers said they planned to go ahead with this year’s march - scheduled for June 28 - despite the ban.
“Budapest is the city of freedom, there will be Pride,” Karacsony said.
Orban, in office since 2010, has also pledged to crack down on foreign funding of independent media and non-governmental organisations, emboldened by the moves of his ally, US President Donald Trump.