Brussels march urges EU to act over Budapest Pride ban threat
The march followed a law passed in Hungary in March that bans LGBT Pride events and allows facial recognition to identify organisers, a move widely condemned by rights groups and EU officials as an attack on civil liberties.
"We have come to sound the alarm," Viktoria Radvanyi, the chair of Budapest Pride, said while standing on a platform at the event.
"What is really alarming is that we have not seen the (European) Commission take any legal action in two months," said Radvanyi, who wore a rainbow-coloured necklace.
Although she met some Commission representatives on Friday, she accused the EU executive of being "complicit" with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban through its inaction
"Do your job," she said, waving a Hungarian flag -- a slogan immediately taken up by the crowd, who held signs reading "Protect your children from Orban".
"I think it's really important that we keep turning out for every pride as long as there are people in the world facing discrimination," said Migiel Moens, 39, who was in the crowd with European flag sticking out of his pink shorts.
Roland Papp, a 35-year-old journalist who attended Budapest Pride for years, described a "horrible time".
"People tend to think that once you have your rights, they're not going to be taken away. That's not true," he said.
"Budapest pride had been going on for 30 years and now it's really going back to the horrible times," he said, vowing to be in the Hungarian capital on June 28 for the event.
Budapest mayor Gergely Karacsony, welcomed on stage by two drag queens, vowed that the parade would go ahead.
"Budapest Pride cannot be banned, for the simple reason that love and freedom cannot be banned," said Karacsony, inviting supporters from across Europe to join what organisers hope will be the "biggest, most colourful and most international" pride event ever seen.
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An Ambulance NSW spokesman said five vehicles were involved in the crash; three cars, a motorbike and a truck. All people who needed to be checked by paramedics had minor injuries, the spokesman said. The male motorbike rider was still however taken to the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. Images show at least four police vehicles and two road crews are on scene. A damaged dark-coloured sedan stopped sideways across two lanes was put onto a tow truck about 7am. There is also a cement truck which appears to have been involved in the crash. Live Traffic NSW are advising motorists to slow down to 40km/h and plan for their commute to take extra time. - NewsWire Qantas set for big fine after illegally sacking workers Australia's largest airline is staring down the barrel of another nine-figure fine for illegally sacking more than 1800 workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Federal Court will hand down a hefty penalty to Qantas on Monday in what will be the latest court blow for the airline after a scandal-plagued recent tenure. Qantas outsourced its baggage handlers, cleaners and ground staff in 2020, in a move the court ruled was designed to curb union bargaining power in wage negotiations. It appealed the ruling to the High Court but the decision was not overturned, paving the way for Monday's penalty. The Transport Workers Union has sought the maximum penalty of $121 million, while Qantas has urged Justice Michael Lee to impose a "mid-range" penalty between $40 million and $80 million. Qantas will cop the fine on top of a $120 million compensation payment it has made to the ground staff for their economic loss, pain and suffering since their jobs were outsourced during the pandemic. It has argued the actions were a mistake, not a deliberate breach of the law. Qantas also sold tickets to cancelled flights for several years, triggering more legal turmoil and a $100 million fine after it was sued by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. The carrier, which was under the control of Alan Joyce at the time of the illegal sacking, lost billions of dollars during the pandemic, which decimated the aviation sector. But the former CEO did not address the scandal when he spoke at an aviation conference on Thursday, instead spruiking his ability to keep the airline afloat in unprecedented times. "But here's the real insight: resilience isn't a reaction … it's a decision made years in advance, often when it's uncomfortable, even unpopular," he said. "Qantas was the only major Australian airline not to go bankrupt during or after the pandemic … that wasn't luck. That was resilience." Australia's largest airline is staring down the barrel of another nine-figure fine for illegally sacking more than 1800 workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Federal Court will hand down a hefty penalty to Qantas on Monday in what will be the latest court blow for the airline after a scandal-plagued recent tenure. Qantas outsourced its baggage handlers, cleaners and ground staff in 2020, in a move the court ruled was designed to curb union bargaining power in wage negotiations. It appealed the ruling to the High Court but the decision was not overturned, paving the way for Monday's penalty. The Transport Workers Union has sought the maximum penalty of $121 million, while Qantas has urged Justice Michael Lee to impose a "mid-range" penalty between $40 million and $80 million. Qantas will cop the fine on top of a $120 million compensation payment it has made to the ground staff for their economic loss, pain and suffering since their jobs were outsourced during the pandemic. It has argued the actions were a mistake, not a deliberate breach of the law. Qantas also sold tickets to cancelled flights for several years, triggering more legal turmoil and a $100 million fine after it was sued by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. The carrier, which was under the control of Alan Joyce at the time of the illegal sacking, lost billions of dollars during the pandemic, which decimated the aviation sector. But the former CEO did not address the scandal when he spoke at an aviation conference on Thursday, instead spruiking his ability to keep the airline afloat in unprecedented times. "But here's the real insight: resilience isn't a reaction … it's a decision made years in advance, often when it's uncomfortable, even unpopular," he said. "Qantas was the only major Australian airline not to go bankrupt during or after the pandemic … that wasn't luck. That was resilience."
