Latest news with #BenceTuzson
LeMonde
2 days ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
By banning the Budapest Pride march, Viktor Orban is trying to divide his opposition
Just 24 hours before the Budapest Pride March − scheduled to take place on Saturday, June 28, in the heart of the Hungarian capital − there was still no clarity on whether the parade would be able to proceed and under what conditions. Amid complete legal uncertainty, the nationalist government of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban passed a law in March aimed at banning the event – which has been organized annually since 1997 – and continued to threaten participants with fines of up to €500 and prison sentences "of up to one year." Justice Minister Bence Tuzson even wrote to the embassy staff from countries supporting the parade – including the French embassy – to remind them of the legal framework of the law on "child protection," which prohibits the representation of homosexuality to minors. Meanwhile, organizers and Budapest's opposition mayor, Gergely Karacsony, maintained that transforming Pride into a "municipal event" rendered the national police ban illegitimate. Despite this uncertainty, the French government announced on June 26 that it would send its ambassador for LGBTQ+ rights, Jean-Marc Berthon, to Budapest on Saturday. He was expected to join some 60 MEPs from the left, green and centrist groups who had announced their participation in Budapest, in addition to the European commissioner for equality, Belgian social democrat Hadja Lahbib and dozens of national lawmakers from various European Union countries. The presence of so many political figures was set to turn this Pride into an unprecedented pan-European protest against Orban's increasingly authoritarian drift.
LeMonde
4 days ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
Hungary warns its EU partners not to attend 'banned' pride parade
Hungary has warned EU ambassadors and their staff not to attend a Pride march in Budapest set to be held on Saturday, June 28, saying that police had banned the gathering, according to a letter seen by Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Wednesday. "The legal situation is clear: the Pride parade is a legally banned assembly (...) those who take part in an event prohibited by the authorities commit an infraction," said the letter, which was signed by Justice Minister Bence Tuzson and dated Tuesday. "Kindly ensure that your co-workers and colleagues are duly informed of these facts, in order to maintain clarity," it added. Pride organizers, in turn, sent a letter to embassies insisting the police had no right to ban the event – organized by the city council – and that the march is "neither banned nor unlawful," vowing it will go ahead as planned. "We continue to work on ensuring that Hungary's largest Pride takes place this Saturday in a safe and secure environment," Budapest Pride president Viktoria Radvanyi said. Since Prime Minister Viktor Orban returned to power in 2010, Hungary has passed a series of laws criticized at home and across the European Union for curtailing LGBTQ+ rights in the name of "child protection." Last week, police banned the country's main Pride march from taking place in Budapest, but the capital's mayor has defied the interdiction, saying that police had no right to ban an event organized by city hall and vowing it would go ahead as planned. Police have said the ban was necessary under recent legislation that bans the promotion of same-sex relationships to under-18s. The conflict over the Pride march has already sparked protests in Hungary. Attendees risk a fine of up to €500 ($580). Police may use facial recognition technology to identify them. Organizers risk a one-year prison sentence. EU officials expected to attend Several members of the European Parliament have said they will attend the parade. European equalities commissioner Hadja Lahbib is expected in Budapest on Friday and may attend the march, as may ministers from several European Union countries, according to the organizers. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on the Hungarian authorities to reverse the ban and not to punish organizers or participants. "I call on the Hungarian authorities to allow the Budapest pride to go ahead, she wrote on X, calling herself an LGBTQ+ ally.
France 24
4 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
Hungary tells EU partners not to attend Pride parade banned by police
Hungary has warned EU ambassadors and their staff not to attend Saturday's Pride march in Budapest, saying that police had banned the gathering, according to a letter seen by AFP on Wednesday. March organisers meanwhile sent their own letter, insisting that police had no authority to ban the procession and vowing it will go ahead as planned. Since Prime Minister Viktor Orban returned to power in 2010, Hungary has passed a series of laws criticised at home and across the European Union for curtailing LGBTQ rights in the name of "child protection". Last week, police banned the country's main Pride march from taking place in Budapest, but the capital's mayor has defied the interdiction, saying that police had no right to ban an event organised by city hall and vowing it would go ahead as planned. "The legal situation is clear: the Pride parade is a legally banned assembly... those who take part in an event prohibited by the authorities commit an infraction," said the letter signed by Justice Minister Bence Tuzson and dated Tuesday. "Kindly ensure that your co-workers and colleagues are duly informed of these facts, in order to maintain clarity," it added. Pride organisers, in turn, sent a letter to embassies insisting the police had no right to ban the event -- organised by the city council -- and that the march is "neither banned nor unlawful". "We continue to work on ensuring that Hungary's largest Pride takes place this Saturday in a safe and secure environment," Budapest Pride president Viktoria Radvanyi said. Police have said the ban was necessary under recent legislation that bans the promotion of same-sex relationships to under-18s. The conflict over the Pride march has already sparked protests in Hungary. Several members of the European Parliament have said they will attend the parade. European equalities commissioner Hadja Lahbib is expected in Budapest on Friday and may attend the march, as may ministers from several European Union countries, according to the organisers. Attendees risk a fine of up to 500 euros ($580). Police may use facial recognition technology to identify them. Organisers risk a one-year prison sentence. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen called on the Hungarian authorities to reverse the ban and not to punish organisers or participants. "I call on the Hungarian aurothities to allow the Budapest pride to go ahead, she wrote on X, calling herself an LGBTQ ally.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Hungarian Supreme Court rules in favour of married same-sex couple
The marriage of same-sex couples tying the knot abroad must be acknowledged in Hungary as a registered partnership, the Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday. The Budapest-based court gave parliament until October 31 this year to entrench the provision in law. It was responding to legal action brought by a Hungarian-German same-sex couple who had married in Germany. While same-sex marriage is not permitted in Hungary, the option of a registered partnership was introduced in 2009. In addition, a 2016 government regulation provided for same-sex marriages concluded abroad to be recognized as registered partnerships in Hungary. This provision has not been implemented, as the appropriate legislation has not been passed. The Supreme Court has now decided that this failure is anti-constitutional, ruling that the protection and recognition of same-sex relationships are part of human dignity and the right to self-determination. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's Fidesz party, which has been in power since 2010, seeks to restrict the rights of people who are not heterosexual. In the spring, parliament, where the conservative nationalist Fidesz holds a majority, created the basis for banning the annual Pride Parade celebrating the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people plus the wider queer community LGBT+ through changes to the law and the constitution. Fidesz cites the need for protecting children as the grounds for the changes. Budapest's Pride Parade has been scheduled for Saturday June 28, but whether it will take place is not yet clear, with talks proceeding between police, the government and Budapest's liberal city council. Justice Minister Bence Tuzson has proposed the city's horseracing track as a venue, as access can be restricted. The proposal drew a response from Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony. "I would like to inform the justice minister that the people demonstrating for freedom and love are people, and not horses," Karácsony said.
