Budapest Mayor Organizes Banned Pride Event as Municipal Celebration of Freedom

Budapest's Pride March Organization

• 🏳️‍🌈 The city of Budapest will organize Hungary's LGBTQ Pride march on June 28, despite a national ban on such events.
• 🗣️ Budapest's liberal mayor, Gerge Kerachoni, stated that in his city, "neither freedom nor love can be banned."

Circumventing the National Ban

• 🏛️ By organizing Pride as a municipal event, the mayor aims to bypass a law passed by Prime Minister Victor Orban's Fidesh party.
• 🚫 This law allows police to ban LGBTQ marches and use facial recognition technology on attendees.
• 📜 The city's action means no permits from authorities will be required for the march.

Government's Stance and Motivation

• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Orban's government has intensified its campaign against the LGBTQ community, aiming to appeal to Fidesh voters concerned about "gender and LGBT ideology."
• 🧒 Lawmakers have claimed the ban is necessary to "protect children."
• 📣 Orban had previously suggested that organizers should not attempt to hold Pride in Budapest this year, the event's 30th anniversary in the city.

City's Commitment to Inclusivity

• ✨ Mayor Kerachoni emphasized that Budapest has "no first or second-class citizens" and that "we can only be free together."
• 🤝 The city will collaborate with organizers to plan the June 28th event, framing it as a celebration of freedom.