Thousands of Hungarians gathered in Budapest for the annual Pride march, protesting government control over public displays by the LGBT community in scorching heat.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s administration banned the “display and promotion of homosexuality” among those under 18 in 2021, despite strong opposition from rights groups and the European Union.
Mate Hidveghi, spokesperson for the Pride march, emphasized the importance of unity and providing support in the current political climate.
Since the introduction of this law, the number of participants in the Pride march has nearly doubled.
As participants paraded through the downtown area of the Hungarian capital, they proudly waved rainbow flags, danced, and cheered.
No official figures regarding the number of marchers were provided by the organizers or the government, but witnesses estimated around 10,000.
Hungarian news site Telex.hu reported that TV ads for the Pride parade could only air late at night, and many channels opted out altogether.
Furthermore, a major fine was imposed on Hungary’s second-largest bookseller for selling an unwrapped book depicting homosexuality.
The embassies of the United States, Germany, and 36 other countries joined together to call on Hungary to protect LGBT rights and revoke discriminatory laws.
U.S. ambassador David Pressman and several other diplomats actively participated in Saturday’s march.
Orban’s conservative stance on Hungary’s LGBT community appealed to his conservative voters in rural areas, contributing to his election victory in 2022.
(Reporting by Boldizsar Gyori; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
Credit: The Star : News Feed
