Hungary's governing party submits bill to ban Pride march
Hungary's governing party submits bill to ban Pride march
Hungary's governing party submitted a bill to parliament on Monday that aims to ban the annual Budapest Pride event in March, in the latest effort to crack down on the country's LGBTQ community.
The government had never supported the parade, and Prime Minister Viktor Orban has frequently lashed out against LGBTQ people and vowed to clamp down on their rights.
Orban's Fidesz party submitted the bill that would ban the Pride march on the basis that it infringes on Hungary's much-criticised "child protection" law, making it possible to fine those who attend the event.
The bill stipulates that it is "forbidden to hold an assembly in violation of" a 2021 law that bans the "promotion and display" of homosexuality to minors.
By amending the law governing the right of assembly, the bill aims to ensure that only events "respecting the right of children to proper physical, mental and moral development may take place", according to the draft bill seen by AFP.
People who organise such a banned event or participate in it could risk fines of up to 500 euros , with police being allowed to use facial recognition tools to identify potential offenders.
The date of the vote has not yet been announced, but the bill is slated to be adopted by mid-April alongside other anti-LGBTQ constitutional amendments.
In his annual state of the nation address in February, Orban warned Pride organisers against preparing for this year's event, saying it would be "a waste of money and time".
Last month, the government said the Pride march would no longer "be tolerated" in the "same public form" as previously.
"What is this if not another step towards a Russian-style regime and dictatorship?" Laszlo Sebian-Petrovszki, a lawmaker of the opposition Democratic Coalition party, wrote on Facebook.
Pride organisers say they are still preparing the 30th Budapest Pride for June 28. The event attracts thousands of people, with Mayor Gergely Karacsony expressing hopes that the march would be "even bigger" this year.
Since returning to lead the country in 2010, Orban has faced criticism over weakening democratic institutions, including accusations of having gradually undermined the rule of law.
Since 2019, Hungary's constitution has stated that marriage is possible only between a man and a woman, and that the mother is a woman and the father is a man.
The 2021 law sparked fury among critics who said it conflated being gay with paedophilia.
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