Latest news with #FundamentalLaw
Budapest Times
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Budapest Times
Hankó: Brussels sees sexual propaganda as more important than the protection of children
Balázs Hankó, the minister of culture and innovation, said in Luxembourg on Thursday that Brussels sees sexual propaganda as more important than the protection of children, 'but we don't agree with that.' Commenting on an opinion published by the Advocate General of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) saying that Hungary's child protection law infringed on EU law, Hankó said 'Brussels launched a lawsuit against Hungary because we … enshrined in the Fundamental Law our view that the protection of children is the top priority and we say no to continued gender activism in schools, kindergartens, the streets, public spaces and the media.' 'While the CJEU sees gender propaganda as a fundamental value of the EU, the Hungarian government sees the protection of families as a core value,' he said. 'The court is engaging all sorts of legal obstacles and legalese when it says that the benefits of media, advertising and electronic services are more important than the protection of our children,' Hankó said. Hungary's stance is clear, he said: the sexual education of children is in the hands of the parents, 'and gender activists and sexual propaganda has nothing to do with it. The lawsuit continues; we will continue to stand up for our children and families,' he said. Hanko insisted that 'Brussels and gender propaganda' had 'overtaken' the CJEU. He said Hungary was ready to 'shoulder the legal costs' of the 16 member states which earlier joined the EC lawsuit, 'because the protection of children comes before everything else'. 'The interference of Ursula von der Leyen's European Commission, the European Parliament manipulated by Manfred Weber, and the 16 states that joined [the lawsuit] will be in vain. We are ready to do everything in our power for our children and normality,' Hankó said. He said that normality meant 'that we can determine who we want to live with, that we say no to illegal migration, no to gender propaganda, and no to the fast-tracked EU integration of Ukraine, which are contrary to Hungarian socio-economic interests.'
Budapest Times
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Budapest Times
Gulyás: Peace will be beneficial if Europe finds common ground with the US
During a meeting of the Hungarian Atlantic Council (MAT) late on Thursday, Gergely Gulyás, Head of the Prime Minister's Office, said peace will be beneficial, especially if Europe, similarly to Hungary, finds common ground with the United States. Receiving the body's Antall József Prize for supporting the Transatlantic concept and aiding the council's work, Gulyás told the body's general assembly that the change of government in the US had been a 'relief' for Hungary as the previous Democrat administration had been 'expressly unfriendly'. Gulyás said 'the US does not want to protect Europe' and expects the bloc to develop its defense capabilities, which have been neglected for decades'. Meanwhile, referring to József Antall, Hungary's first prime minister after the fall of communism, Gulyás said he worked at a time when 'respect was the ruling tone of public life … that has ceased, it is no more'. 'That is a serious hit to democracy,' he said. Lauding Gulyás, Zsolt Németh, the head of parliament's foreign policy committee and the MAT vice-president, said the minister had a 'nationalist, Christian, conservative and protestant set of values' and was 'an operative problem-solver' who played a role in 'protecting the victims of the events of 2006, creating the Fundamental Law, or fostering Hungary's crucial relations with German-speaking states.'
Euronews
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Demonstration in favour of cannabis legalisation takes place in Budapest
ADVERTISEMENT The Curia of Hungary, also known as the Supreme Court, has overturned the police's decision to ban the Hungarian Two-Tailed Dog Party (MKKP) from holding an event in capital Budapest's Madách Square. At the Million Marijuana March event, MKKP co-chair Zsuzsanna Döme argued that alcohol and designer drugs cause much greater social harm, yet the government criminalises the usage of marijuana by young people. Activists gave a presentation on an effective and smart approach to drug policies, illustrating the effects of various mind-altering drugs. "Users are very demonised. There is no understanding of how they get there, but there is no safety net to help them," said one participant. "It's a topic that we really don't talk about in the right way. It would be better to change it, even in small steps," added another young person at the event. The Two-Tailed Dog Party is undertaking its 'drug war' in an unusual way: "We have targeted the addictions of our political, economic and cultural elites. As you can see here, power, public money, obscene language, pornography, alcohol, real estate, luxury, propaganda, fatty foods and, of course, the tovarish Putin," Ferenc Somody, a political candidate for the MKKP, explained to Euronews. The police had banned the planned event, citing an amendment made to Hungary's Fundamental Law which tightened child protection policies and drug security. On 14 April, the Hungarian parliament enshrined a zero tolerance policy towards drugs in the amendment. The country's Fundamental Law also states that the production, consumption, distribution and promotion of drugs is prohibited. The MKKP has appealed the decision, arguing that the police's decision to ban marijuana was taken prior to the Fundamental Law's amendment. The Curia concluded that an event cannot be banned on the basis of a law that had not yet been adopted. The Million Marijuana March, also referred to as the Global Marijuana March, is an event held all over the world. In many countries, the event is held on 20 April, a reference to the term 4:20, which is cannabis culture slang for marijuana consumption. The use of cannabis, which is considered by many to be less harmful than alcohol and tobacco, has been decriminalised or legalised in a growing number of countries in recent years.
Budapest Times
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Budapest Times
Here's why the Fundamental Law amendment is needed
Hungary's National Assembly is preparing to pass the 15th amendment to the Fundamental Law, marking another major step in reinforcing national identity, legal clarity, and state sovereignty. The amendment covers a wide spectrum of issues, including child protection, gender identity, citizenship, national emergency powers, and community self-defense, and aims to future-proof Hungary's constitutional framework. At the heart of the amendment is the explicit prioritization of children's rights. A newly added provision states that 'every child has the right to the protection and care necessary for their proper physical, intellectual, and moral development,' and that this right supersedes all other fundamental rights, except the right to life. Government lawmakers view this change as a constitutional safeguard against ideological influences that they argue threaten the well-being of children, particularly in the context of events like Pride parades. The amendment also defines legal sex as immutable, stating that a person is either male or female and that this status cannot be legally altered. According to governing party representatives, this is not an attack on individual self-expression, but a clarification that legal norms are based on biological reality—an approach intended to ensure coherence in state administration and social organization. Another significant element concerns national sovereignty. The government argues that dual nationals receiving foreign support could pose a risk to Hungary's independence. As such, the amendment would allow for the suspension of Hungarian citizenship under specific legal conditions to be determined by a cardinal law. This change is part of a broader effort to counter what officials describe as foreign-funded political pressure networks that undermine Hungarian democracy and sovereignty. Emergency powers are also addressed. While the existing system allowing the government to declare a state of emergency remains intact, the amendment limits executive power by requiring a two-thirds parliamentary mandate for suspending laws or deviating from them. This ensures that even in extraordinary situations, checks and balances remain in place—except when the parliament explicitly permits broader powers for up to six months. Additionally, the amendment lays the constitutional groundwork for local self-defense. Municipalities would gain the right to protect their communities' identity by regulating real estate transactions and imposing local residency or tax conditions. This provision is intended to shield localities from demographic or economic pressures that might erode community cohesion. The Fundamental Law will also now guarantee the right to cash payments, alongside the existing right to property and inheritance, and explicitly ban drugs in all forms—from production to promotion. These changes are necessary to preserve national sovereignty, protect vulnerable communities, and ensure legal stability amid increasing foreign influence and ideological pressure. This amendment is a reaffirmation that Hungary belongs to Hungarians—legally, culturally, and constitutionally.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hungary amends constitution, bans public LGBTQ+ gatherings to 'prioritize children's rights'
April 14 (UPI) -- Hungary's parliament amended its constitution Monday to ban public LGBTQ+ gatherings, as it declared children's rights to "moral, physical and spiritual development supersede any right other than the right to life." The amendment, which required a two-thirds vote, passed by a vote of 140 to 21 along party lines. "Hungary's National Assembly has passed the 15th amendment to the Fundamental Law," announced government spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs in a post on X. It is a "constitutional safeguard against ideological influences that they argue threaten the well-being of children, particularly in the context of events like Pride parades," he added. "The sweeping changes prioritize children's rights." While the new amendment alleges LGBTQ+ pride marches are harmful to children, critics call it another step toward authoritarianism. "This whole endeavor which we see launched by the government, it has nothing to do with children's rights," said Dániel Döbrentey, a lawyer with the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, who called it "pure propaganda." "It's not just about pride, it's about any assembly that is organized by the opposition," Momentum MP David Beto told the BBC. "This is only the first step they're taking in this one year campaign, and we are going to see many more laws enacted and passed in parliament that is very much against any democracy or any rule of law." The amendment, which comes after a law was passed last month to ban LGBTQ+ pride marches, will allow the Hungarian government to temporarily suspend the citizenship of any dual nationals who are determined to be a threat to the country's security. It also mandates two genders. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has been in office since 2010, praised the legislation after declaring last month, "We won't let woke ideology endanger our kids." "Hungary's constitutional amendment is now law," Orban wrote Monday in a post on X. "We're protecting children's development, affirming that a person is born either male or female and standing firm against drugs and foreign interference," he said. "In Hungary, common sense matters."
