Approximately 100,000 people participated in the 30th annual Budapest LGBTQ+ Pride event, openly defying a government ban and police orders. This historic march, the largest of its kind in Hungary, served as a strong rebuke to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's government, which had outlawed such events in March. Participants risked fines and potential police intervention, highlighting concerns over LGBTQ+ rights and democratic processes in Hungary.
Around 100,000 march in Budapest Pride in defiance of Hungary’s ban
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TL;DR: Key points with love ❤️Approximately 100,000 people participated in the 30th annual Budapest LGBTQ+ Pride event, openly defying a government ban and police orders. This historic march, the largest of its kind in Hungary, served as a strong rebuke to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's government, which had outlawed such events in March. Participants risked fines and potential police intervention, highlighting concerns over LGBTQ+ rights and democratic processes in Hungary.
Trending- 1 March: Orbán's governing party passes a law outlawing events that "depict or promote" homosexuality to minors under 18, explicitly targeting Budapest Pride.
- 2 Recent weeks: Police reject several requests by organizers to register the Pride march.
- 3 This week: Hungary's justice minister warns Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony about organizing Pride.
- 4 Saturday (June 28, 2025): Around 100,000 people march in the 30th annual Budapest Pride event, defying the ban. Police divert the crowd. More than 70 members of the European Parliament participate.
- Major blow to Orbán’s prestige
- Slumping popularity for Orbán
- Potential police intervention and heavy fines (up to 200,000 Hungarian forints or $586) for attendees
- Potential imprisonment (up to a year) for organizers like Karácsony
- Continued crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights (same-sex adoption/marriage banned, transgender individuals disallowed from changing sex in documents)
What: Around 100,000 people marched in the 30th annual Budapest LGBTQ+ Pride event, defying a government ban and police orders. The march was outlawed by a law passed in March by Orbán’s right-wing populist governing party, which made it an offense to hold or attend events that "depict or promote" homosexuality to minors under age 18. Police diverted the crowd from its planned route to separate them from counterprotesters. Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony declared it a municipal event to bypass police approval, but the government insisted it was unlawful. More than 70 members of the European Parliament and other officials participated.
When: Saturday (June 28, 2025, based on publication date); the 30th annual event. The law outlawing such events was passed in March. Police rejected requests in recent weeks. Hungary's justice minister warned Karácsony this week.
Where: Budapest, Hungary. The march began at Budapest City Hall, wound through the city center, and crossed the Erzsébet Bridge over the Danube River.
Why: To defy Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government and its ban on LGBTQ+ Pride events, which the government claims violate children's rights to moral and spiritual development. Participants also aimed to defend fundamental rights of sexual minorities and protest an accelerating crackdown on democratic processes under Orbán’s rule.
How: Organizers held the 30th annual Budapest Pride march despite a government ban and police orders. Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony supported the event by declaring it a separate municipal event. Participants risked potential police intervention and heavy fines.