Hungary bans Pride parades in escalating clampdown on LGBTQ rights
Budapest (dpa) — Hungary's parliament has approved a ban on annual Pride parades advocating for LGBTQ rights, further tightening restrictions on expressions of non-heterosexual identity in public.
Lawmakers passed the proposal in an emergency session on Tuesday, with 137 votes in favour and 27 against in the 199-member parliament. The measure was introduced by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's right-wing populist government.
The vote triggered protests inside the chamber, where opponents of the law set off smoke bombs as the result was announced.
Thousands of people demonstrated in Budapest afterwards following a call by opposition party Momentum.
Orbán had already signalled the crackdown in a February speech, warning Pride organizers that preparing for this year's parade would be "a waste of time and money."
For decades Budapest has held a Pride parade, usually in July.
Under the new law, staging or participating in a banned parade in the EU country will be classified as an administrative offence punishable by fines of up to 200,000 forints ($545).
Both organizers and participants could face penalties. Authorities plan to use facial recognition technology to identify violators.
The measure amended Hungary's Assembly Act to prohibit gatherings that breach the country's so-called Child Protection Act. Although Pride events are not explicitly named, parliamentary debates made clear they fall under the new restrictions.
Hungary's 2021 Child Protection Act already bans access by minors to information about non-heterosexual lifestyles. Books, films and other media containing LGBTQ content must not be made available to children under the law.
The government is also preparing a constitutional amendment that would legally define every person as either male or female, excluding recognition of non-binary individuals.
Since 2020, Hungary's constitution has stipulated that a mother can only be a woman and a father can only be a man.
The measures are part of a broader push by Orbán's government to restrict LGBTQ rights, drawing sharp criticism from human rights groups and the European Union.
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