Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 25, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 24, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleThousands protested in Budapest against a new law banning Pride marches, citing threats to freedom of assembly. The law includes facial recognition to identify protestors.
BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Thousands of people protested in Budapest on Tuesday against a new law that aims to ban the annual Pride march by LGBTQ+ communities and allows the use of facial recognition software to identify organizers and attendees.
Hungary's parliament passed a law proposed by ruling Fidesz party lawmakers last week to ban the Pride march on the grounds that it could be harmful to children.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who faces an unprecedented challenge from a new surging opposition party ahead of 2026 elections, has criticised the LGBTQ+ community and pledged to crack down on foreign funding of independent media and non-governmental organizations in Hungary in recent weeks as part of his campaign.
Orban, who has been in power since 2010, promotes a Christian-conservative agenda.
"The vile law passed (last) Tuesday is not merely about banning Pride, it effectively enables the suppression of any form of protest in the future," the protest's organizer, independent member of parliament Akos Hadhazy wrote on Facebook.
Reuters reporters on the scene estimated that about 2,000 people were taking part in the protest. Protesters and activists of the opposition Momentum party shouted "Europe" and "Filthy Fidesz" as they attempted to block a key bridge.
"This is not about Pride, this is about freedom of assembly. They are trying to curtail the right to assembly, maybe end it completely," said Zsuzsa Szabo, 72, who came to protest from Kecskemet, a town east of Budapest.
Last Tuesday, protesters blocked a bridge in central Budapest after the bill was passed in an expedited process.
Budapest's liberal mayor Gergely Karacsony criticised the law and members of the opposition Momentum party lit smoke flares in protest at the time of the vote in Parliament.
Festival organisers say the annual Pride march poses no threat to children and that they are planning to hold the event despite the ban.
(Reporting by Anita Komuves; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
Hungary's parliament passed a law proposed by the ruling Fidesz party to ban the Pride march, claiming it could be harmful to children.
Thousands protested in Budapest against the law, emphasizing that it is not just about Pride, but about the right to assembly.
The protests were organized by an independent member of parliament, who criticized the law as a means to suppress future protests.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban has criticized the LGBTQ+ community and pledged to crack down on foreign influences ahead of the 2026 elections.
Festival organizers have stated that the annual Pride march poses no threat to children and they plan to hold the event despite the ban.
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