Hungary’s government has come under fire from NGOs and human rights activists for proposing to ban the annual Pride march in Budapest.
Gergely Gulyás, populist prime minister Viktor Orbán’s chief of staff, said on Thursday that the government would soon amend the constitution to emphasize child protection, a move critics say aims to make the annual Pride march illegal.
He said that the constitution would be amended to say that a child’s right to physical, mental and moral development “takes priority over all other rights, except the right to life.”
When asked if this effectively meant a ban on the Pride parade, which is due to take place on June 28, Gulyás said: “The collision between the right to assembly and children’s right to healthy development needs to be clarified.”
He also said that “those with sharp ears” could hear that the constitutional amendment was related to Pride.
Gulyás then added: “There will be no Pride in the public form in which we have known it in recent decades.
“We believe that the country should not tolerate Pride marching through the city centre.”
Speaking to his supporters on Saturday, Orbán said that Pride organisers “should not even bother” this year as the event would be a “waste of money and time.”
Orbán has repeatedly criticised LGBTQ+ people and pledged to crack down on foreign funding of independent media and NGOs in the country in recent weeks, after U.S. ally President Donald Trump paused USAID funding.
LGBTQ+ activists and human rights organizations have condemned the proposal, saying it undermines citizens’ freedom of expression.
Viktor Szalóki, political director of the Hungarian NGO aHang, said that outlawing the event would amount to violating people’s rights to free assembly and expression.
Meanwhile, the organisers of Budapest Pride, which will mark its 30th anniversary this year, have vowed to defy the move.
The organizers said in a statement: “There was Pride, there is Pride, and there will be Pride.
“Events like the Pride March are a sign of whether the authorities want to silence those who think differently.”
He said that the constitution would be amended to say that a child’s right to physical, mental and moral development “takes priority over all other rights, except the right to life.”
When asked if this effectively meant a ban on the Pride parade, which is due to take place on June 28, Gulyás said: “The collision between the right to assembly and children’s right to healthy development needs to be clarified.”
He also said that “those with sharp ears” could hear that the constitutional amendment was related to Pride.
Gulyás then added: “There will be no Pride in the public form in which we have known it in recent decades.
“We believe that the country should not tolerate Pride marching through the city centre.”
Speaking to his supporters on Saturday, Orbán said that Pride organisers “should not even bother” this year as the event would be a “waste of money and time.”
Orbán has repeatedly criticised LGBTQ+ people and pledged to crack down on foreign funding of independent media and NGOs in the country in recent weeks, after U.S. ally President Donald Trump paused USAID funding.
Organizers vow defiance
LGBTQ+ activists and human rights organizations have condemned the proposal, saying it undermines citizens’ freedom of expression.
Viktor Szalóki, political director of the Hungarian NGO aHang, said that outlawing the event would amount to violating people’s rights to free assembly and expression.
Meanwhile, the organisers of Budapest Pride, which will mark its 30th anniversary this year, have vowed to defy the move.
The organizers said in a statement: “There was Pride, there is Pride, and there will be Pride.
“Events like the Pride March are a sign of whether the authorities want to silence those who think differently.”
Orbán politicizing the event
Asked about the planned constitutional change, the organizers told Reuters that Orbán’s government, which faces an unprecedented challenge from an opposition party ahead of 2026 elections, was using Pride as a political tool.
“We will not be intimidated - the preparations for the march are in full swing, and with the power of the community, we will make history once again this year,” they said.
Zita Hrubi, the spokesperson for Budapest Pride, added: “Basically, we think that if the law on assembly is tampered with in any way, it would be an admission that Hungary is no longer a democracy.”
For decades, Pride participants have processed down Andrássy Avenue, a spacious, tree-lined street in Budapest's city centre.
LGBTQ+ groups have long accused Orbán’s government of discrimination under the guise of promoting Christian-conservativism.
In 2021 it introduced a contentious “Child Protection Act,” which critics said equated homosexuality with paedophilia.
Since 2019, Hungary’s constitution has explicitly defined marriage as a heterosexual union, with same-sex couples being denied adoption rights.
“We will not be intimidated - the preparations for the march are in full swing, and with the power of the community, we will make history once again this year,” they said.
Zita Hrubi, the spokesperson for Budapest Pride, added: “Basically, we think that if the law on assembly is tampered with in any way, it would be an admission that Hungary is no longer a democracy.”
For decades, Pride participants have processed down Andrássy Avenue, a spacious, tree-lined street in Budapest's city centre.
LGBTQ+ groups have long accused Orbán’s government of discrimination under the guise of promoting Christian-conservativism.
In 2021 it introduced a contentious “Child Protection Act,” which critics said equated homosexuality with paedophilia.
Since 2019, Hungary’s constitution has explicitly defined marriage as a heterosexual union, with same-sex couples being denied adoption rights.
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