Budapest mayor says city will organise Budapest Pride, circumventing Orban's legislation
BUDAPEST - The city of Budapest will organise Hungary's Pride march by the LGBTQ community on June 28 as a municipal event celebrating freedom, Budapest's liberal mayor said on Monday, in a move to circumvent a law that allows police to ban LGBTQ marches.
Hungary's parliament, in which Prime Minister Viktor Orban's right-wing Fidesz Party has a big majority, passed legislation in March that creates a legal basis to ban LGBTQ marches, citing protection of children. It also lets police use facial recognition cameras to identify people who attend.
Pride organisers have said the 30th Pride march in Budapest would proceed despite the new legislation, and on Monday Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony said in a video that the city would team up with organisers. The mayor added since the march will be a municipal event - a celebration of freedom - "no permits from authorities are needed."
Karacsony said Budapest's history was about freedom and solidarity.
"In this city, there are no first- or second-class citizens. In this city we know that we can only be free together," he said. "So in this city, neither freedom, nor love can be banned, and the Budapest Pride cannot be banned either."
Government spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Orban, who faces a challenging election in 2026, pushed through constitutional changes in April stipulating that Hungary recognises only two sexes, male and female.
His government has a Christian conservative agenda and its intensifying campaign against the LGBTQ community has aimed to please Fidesz's core voters, mostly in the countryside.
Orban has said organisers "should not even bother" organising Pride in Budapest this year.
Over the past 15 years of Fidesz's dominance, Orban has appealed to conservative Hungarians who believe their country is in a struggle to protect its Christian identity - from Muslim immigrants to what they call "gender and LGBT ideology" allegedly foisted on the central European country by Brussels.
His government's anti-LGBT campaign escalated in 2021 when the Fidesz-dominated parliament passed a law banning the use of materials seen as promoting homosexuality and gender change at schools, citing again the need to protect children. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
32 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Netanyahu says Israel is ‘changing the face of the Middle East'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference, in Jerusalem, on May 21. PHOTO: REUTERS Netanyahu says Israel is 'changing the face of the Middle East' JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said June 16 that Israel was 'changing the face of the Middle East' with its military campaign against Iran which could lead to 'radical changes' in the country. 'We are changing the face of the Middle East and that can lead to radical changes inside Iran itself,' he told a press conference in which he outlined Israel's strikes against Iranian nuclear and military targets. After decades of enmity and a prolonged shadow war, Israel on June 13 launched a surprise aerial campaign against targets across Iran. Iran has launched several waves of missiles in retaliation at Israel, sparking fears of a wider regional conflict. 'We have eliminated Iran's security leadership, including three chiefs of staff, the commander of their air force, two intelligence chiefs,' Mr Netanyahu added. 'We are eliminating them, one after the other.' He said that Israel was 'pursuing three main objectives: the elimination of the nuclear programme, the elimination of ballistic missile production capability, and the elimination of the axis of terrorism', referring to Iranian-backed militant groups in the Middle East. 'We will do what is necessary to achieve these goals, and we are well coordinated with the United States,' he said. Mr Netanyahu asserted that Iranians perception of their government had changed. 'They understand that the regime is much weaker than they thought – they realise it, and that could lead to results,' he said. Israel's strikes have so far killed at least 224 people, including top military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians, according to Iranian authorities. The Israeli prime minister's office says 24 people have been killed in Iranian attacks since June 13. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
G-7 leaders agree on strategy to protect critical mineral supply, draft document shows
Raw Rare Earth ore waiting to be processed at Vital Metals in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. PHOTO: REUTERS KANANASKIS, Alberta - Group of Seven leaders on June 16 provisionally agreed on a strategy to help protect the supply of critical minerals and bolster their economies, according to a draft statement seen by Reuters. The draft, which a source said had not yet been approved by US President Donald Trump, also said minerals markets should reflect the real costs of responsible extraction, processing, and trade of critical minerals. China's decision in April to suspend exports of a wide range of critical minerals and magnets disrupted supplies needed by automakers, computer chip manufacturers and military contractors around the world. Mr Trump last week said Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to let rare earth minerals and magnets flow to the United States. Rare earths and other critical minerals, though, remain a source of leverage for Beijing. "Non-market policies and practices in the critical minerals sector threaten our ability to acquire many critical minerals," the draft said. "Recognising this threat to our economies, as well as various other risks to the resilience of our critical minerals supply chains, we will work together and with partners beyond the G-7 to swiftly protect our economic and national security." This included anticipating critical minerals shortages, coordinating responses to deliberate market disruption, and diversifying mining, processing, manufacturing, and recycling, it said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
US House Speaker Johnson postpones trip to Israel
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks with members of the media, on the day of a closed House Republican Conference meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 20, 2025. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno/File Photo WASHINGTON - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson said on Monday he has postponed his planned trip to Israel to address its parliament on June 22 because of the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel. "Due to the complex situation currently unfolding in Iran and Israel, (Knesset) Speaker (Amir) Ohana and I have made the decision to postpone the special session of the Knesset. We look forward to rescheduling the address in the near future and send our prayers to the people of Israel and the Middle East," Johnson said in a statement. Johnson, a Louisiana Republican and staunch supporter of Israel, had announced his plan for the trip on June 11 as Israel pressed on with its military campaign in Gaza launched in response to a deadly incursion into Israel led by Palestinian militant group Hamas. Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran on Friday that wiped out the top echelon of Iran's military command and damaged its nuclear sites, and says the campaign will continue to escalate with the stated goal of eliminating Tehran's ability to develop a nuclear weapon. Iran insists its nuclear program is civilian, not military. The U.S. State Department earlier on Monday raised its travel advisory for Israel to Level 4, the highest, and warned U.S. citizens not to travel there due to "armed conflict, terrorism and civil unrest." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
