14 hours ago
Von der Leyen calls on Hungary to lift ban on Budapest Pride
Ursula von der Leyen has urged Hungary to allow the Budapest Pride, scheduled to take place this weekend, to "go ahead without fear of any criminal or administrative sanctions against the organisers or participants".
The appeal represents her most direct intervention in the new showdown between the government of Viktor Orbán and the European Commission.
"To the LGBTIQ+ community in Hungary and beyond: I will always be your ally. You have every reason to be proud," the president of the Commission said in a video message posted on social media on Wednesday evening.
"Europe is stronger and richer because of you. I am on your side. Today and every day."
In a highly controversial law approved in spring, the Hungarian parliament banned public events considered to be in breach of the Child Protection Act, which heavily restricted depictions of homosexuality and gender reassignment.
The text allows authorities to use facial recognition tools to identify people who organise and attend forbidden events, leading to fines of up to 200,000 Hungarian forints (€485). If not paid, the fines will be collected as taxes.
Based on the law, police later banned the celebration of the Budapest Pride, which draws thousands of visitors to the city every year.
The liberal mayor of Budapest, Gergely Karacsony, struck a defiant tone and announced the celebration of an umbrella event called "Day of Freedom" to bypass the prohibition.
"Budapest city hall will organise the Budapest Pride march as a local event on 28 June, Period," Karacsony said last week.
In her message, von der Leyen joined the cause, expressing her "full support and solidarity" to Hungary's LGBTIQ+ community.
"In Europe, marching for your rights is a fundamental freedom. You have the right to love who you want to love and be exactly who you are," she said.
"Our Union is one of equality and non-discrimination. These are our core values, enshrined in our treaties. They must be respected at all times, in all member states."
Orbán replied almost immediately to her video message.
"Dear Madam President, I urge the European Commission to refrain from interfering in the law enforcement affairs of Member States, where it has no role to play," he said.
"I also call on the Commission to focus its efforts on the pressing challenges facing the European Union—areas where it does have a clear role and responsibility, and where it has made serious mistakes in recent years, such as the energy crisis and the erosion of European competitiveness."
The Commission has not yet announced legal action against Hungary.
This is a developing story.
