Huge crowds pack Budapest as banned Pride swells into anti-Orban rally

By Anita Komuves and Krisztina Than

BUDAPEST (Reuters) -Tens of thousands of protesters marched through Hungary's capital on Saturday as a banned LGBTQ+ rights rally swelled into a mass anti-government demonstration, in one of the biggest shows of opposition to Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Crowds filled a square near Budapest's city hall in sweltering heat before setting off across one of the main bridges over the Danube, waving rainbow flags, some draped in capes and some carrying signs mocking Orban.

"This is about much more, not just about homosexuality ... This is the last moment to stand up for our rights," Eszter Rein Bodi, one of the marchers, said.

"None of us are free until everyone is free," one sign read.

Orban's government has gradually curtailed the rights of the LGBTQ+ community in the past decade, and lawmakers passed a law in March that allows for the ban of Pride marches, citing the need to protect children.

Orban's opponents see the move as part of a wider crackdown on democratic freedoms ahead of a national election next year when the veteran prime minister - whose party has dominated Hungary's political scene for 15 years - will face a strong opposition challenger.

Small groups of far-right counter-protesters attempted to disrupt the peaceful march, but police separated them and diverted the route of the march to avoid any clashes.

Orban and his government, who promote a Christian-conservative agenda and have championed family values, have defended the restrictions saying that the need to protect children supersedes all other rights.

Orban posted a photo with his grandchildren on the morning of the march, with the caption: "This is what I am proud of." Several of his supporters followed suit.

Marchers included students, families and people from the countryside who said they had never attended a rally before. The Erzsebet bridge, built to carry six lanes of traffic, was engulfed with people.

Local media sites including 444.hu and Magyar Hang estimated the crowd at 100,000, though Reuters could not confirm that figure.

"The message is clear, they have no power over us," Budapest mayor Gergely Karacsony told the rally. He thanked police for securing the march.

March organisers said participants had arrived from 30 different countries, including 70 members of the European Parliament.

More than 30 embassies have expressed support for the march and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on Hungarian authorities to let the parade go ahead.

'LEGAL CONSEQUENCES'

Budapest's mayor had tried to circumvent the law by organising Pride as a municipal event, which he said does not need a permit. Police however banned the event, arguing that it fell under the scope of the child protection law.

Orban provided some clues on Friday about what participants can expect when he warned of "legal consequences" for organising and attending the march.

Earlier this week Justice Minister Bence Tuzson warned in a letter sent to some foreign embassies in Budapest that organising a prohibited event is punishable by one year in jail, while attending counts as a misdemeanour.

The law that allows for the ban of Pride lets police impose fines and use facial recognition cameras to identify people who attend.

Orban's attacks on Pride initially increased his support, political analyst Gabor Torok wrote on Facebook on Saturday. But opinion shifted after the police ban and the legal debates surrounding the march, he said.

Orban's dominance and ability to set the political agenda had faced increasing challenges from centre-right opposition leader Peter Magyar's Tisza party, which had a 15-point lead over Orban's Fidesz in a poll this month.

Tisza, which has been avoiding taking a strong position on gay rights issues, did not specify in response to Reuters questions whether it believed the Pride march was lawful, but said those attending deserved the state's protection.

(Reporting by Anita Komuves; Additional reporting by Krisztina Fenyo and Krisztina Than; Editing by Peter Graff and Andrew Heavens)