Hungary's government plans to move Pride off the streets
Hungary's annual Budapest Pride should be held in a "closed venue" this year rather than processing along an avenue in central Budapest as previously, Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Chief of Staff said on Wednesday, citing child protection.
It was unclear whether the government intended to move the event inside or also restrict access.
The plan appeared to be part of Prime Minister Viktor Orban's restrictions on the activities of the LGBTQ+ community as the nationalist leader prepares for elections in 2026 in which his right-wing Fidesz party faces an unprecedented challenge from a new opponent.
Community members say Pride is a family friendly event and poses no threat to children.
Orban, a long-time ally of President Donald Trump, told supporters on Saturday that Pride organisers "should not even bother" this year as the event would be a "waste of money and time," without revealing any specifics.
His chief of staff, Gergely Gulyas, told news site 24.hu on Wednesday that Pride should not be held the way it has been in the past. He said the goal was to "enforce the point of view of child protection" and that he did not see any such risk with "a Pride that is held in a closed space."
Gulyas said the government would discuss the matter at Wednesday's meeting and would propose legislation later. The organisers of the Pride march did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
For decades, Pride participants have processed down Andrassy Avenue, a spacious, tree-lined street in Budapest's city centre.
Orban, in power since 2010, promotes a Christian-conservative agenda and in 2021 banned the "promotion of homosexuality" among under-18s despite strong criticism from rights groups and the European Union.
Orban's government has said the law -- which appeals to Fidesz' core voter base -- is meant to protect children and does not target the LGBTQ+ community.
The law has caused anxiety among gay, bisexual and transgender Hungarians and the European Commission referred Hungary to the Court of Justice of the EU over it in mid-2022.
Gay marriage is not recognised in Hungary and Orban's government has redefined marriage as the union between one man and one woman in the constitution, and limited gay adoption.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Manar
5 days ago
- Al Manar
Russia Says Ukraine Stalls POW Exchange and Return of Fallen Soldiers
Russia's Defense Ministry said on Saturday that Ukraine is indefinitely delaying a planned exchange of prisoners of war and the repatriation of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers' bodies, despite Moscow's readiness and prior arrangements. According to Alexander Zorin, head of the General Staff's main directorate, Russia had initiated the return of over 6,000 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers on June 6. A convoy carrying 1,212 remains had already arrived at the exchange site, with four more trains—each transporting approximately 1,200 bodies—preparing for transfer. Zorin affirmed Russia's full commitment to the Istanbul agreements, offering to exchange all prisoners on an 'all-for-all' basis, including the wounded, critically ill, and those under 25. He added that a list of 640 names was submitted to Ukrainian authorities, who have yet to respond with a date for either receiving the bodies or reciprocating the prisoner exchange. Presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky echoed these claims, stating that Kyiv's sudden refusal to proceed came despite Russia's formal invitation to retrieve the bodies—an act aimed at giving families the right to a dignified burial. He further invited international media to witness Russia's preparedness on the ground, confirming that the initial batch of bodies had already reached the designated exchange zone, while additional shipments were en route. Vladimir Medinsky spoke to us about Kiev's sudden refusal to take back 6,000 bodies of their dead. 'Families will have opportunity to bury their close ones in a Christian manner. We are here, we are ready to fulfil our agreements. Accept the bodies, the POWs, and the sick. Let… — Margarita Simonyan (@M_Simonyan) June 7, 2025 Medinsky accused Ukraine of obstructing the agreements, alleging that Kyiv may be stalling to avoid financial obligations—namely, compensation payments announced in 2023 of $257,000 per fallen soldier. According to him, no Ukrainian families have received these funds to date, and concealing the return of such a large number of bodies is becoming increasingly difficult. Moscow Pushes for Lasting Peace Amid Diplomatic Gridlock The second round of Russia-Ukraine negotiations took place earlier this week at Istanbul's Çırağan Palace, lasting more than an hour and involving the exchange of memoranda on conflict resolution mechanisms. Russia – Ukraine negotiations, Istanbul, Türkiye. 'We aim to discuss ceasefire requirements of both sides in Russia-Ukraine talks'. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan 'We expect a real result from today's meeting in Istanbul: a ceasefire, exchange of prisoners, return of… — Intel Edge (@Intel_edge1) June 2, 2025 Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a government video conference, instructed Medinsky to present a full report on the outcomes of the talks. Medinsky noted that Kyiv expressed interest in a 30-day ceasefire to prepare for a potential summit, while Moscow insisted on negotiating a comprehensive peace agreement rather than settling for a temporary truce. Despite ongoing dialogue, Ukraine has yet to act on its commitments, while Russia continues to push for implementation of the agreed exchanges—against the backdrop of mounting Ukrainian challenges related to prisoner numbers and unpaid death compensations.
Nahar Net
7 days ago
- Nahar Net
Syria says seized all captagon factories
by Naharnet Newsdesk 05 June 2025, 11:45 Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab said Wednesday that authorities had seized all production facilities of illicit stimulant captagon, which became Syria's largest export under ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad. In an interview with state television, Khattab said that "we were able to stop the production of this drug and seize all the materials and factories that were producing" captagon. "There are now no more factories producing captagon in Syria," he said. Most of the factories, which he said numbered in the dozens, were located "in the Damascus countryside and a large number in the Lebanese border area" as well as on the coast. "Most were in areas under the control of the former Fourth Division," he said, referring to the notorious Syrian army division headed by Assad's brother Maher. Captagon became Syria's largest export during the civil war that erupted in 2011, and a key source of illicit funding for Assad's government. Since his overthrow in December, the new Islamist authorities have announced the discovery of millions of captagon pills in warehouses and on military bases. Last month, authorities said they had thwarted an attempt to smuggle out four million captagon pills, days after seizing another nine million that were headed for Turkey. Neighboring countries also occasionally announce captagon seizures. "Shipments initially prepared for export have been intercepted" daily, Khattab said, noting Syria has begun coordinating with countries including neighboring Jordan and Turkey as well as Saudi Arabia -- a key market for the drug The interior minister also noted other security challenges, including Islamic State (IS) group jihadists who according to Khattab had moved from "absurd acts... to studied attacks on strategic targets". Last month, IS claimed its first attack on Syria's new government forces. Also last month, Syrian authorities said they arrested members of an Islamic State cell near Damascus, accusing them of preparing attacks, while another anti-IS operation in the northern city of Aleppo saw the death of one security forces officer and three IS members. Khattab said IS had also attempted "to carry out attacks against the Christian and Shiite community" that the authorities had thwarted. Once in control of large swathes of Syria and Iraq, IS was territorially defeated in Syria in 2019 largely due to the efforts of Kurdish-led forces supported by an international coalition. Reported IS attacks in areas controlled by the Syria's Islamist-led authorities have been scarce, while frequent attacks have persisted in areas under Kurdish control in the country's north and northeast.
LBCI
27-05-2025
- LBCI
EU ministers approve new 150 billion-euro arms fund
On Tuesday, the European Union approved the creation of a 150 billion-euro ($170.7 billion) EU arms fund, driven by fears of a Russian attack in the coming years and doubts about U.S. security commitments to the continent. The approval by ministers from EU countries at the meeting in Brussels was the final legal step in setting up the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) scheme, using joint EU borrowing to give loans to European countries for joint defense projects. The measure was backed by 26 of the EU's 27 member countries, with Hungary abstaining, diplomats said. Reuters
