Von der Leyen calls on Hungary to lift controversial ban on Budapest Pride

Published on 25/06/2025 - 21:47 GMT+2

Ursula von der Leyen has urged Hungary to let the Budapest Pride, scheduled to instrumentality spot this weekend, to "go up without fearfulness of immoderate transgression oregon administrative sanctions against the organisers oregon participants".

The entreaty represents her astir nonstop involution successful the caller showdown betwixt the authorities of Viktor Orbán and the European Commission.

"To the LGBTIQ+ assemblage successful Hungary and beyond: I volition ever beryllium your ally. You person each crushed to beryllium proud," the president of the Commission said successful a video connection posted connected societal media connected Wednesday evening.

"Europe is stronger and richer due to the fact that of you. I americium connected your side. Today and each day."

In a highly arguable instrumentality approved successful spring, the Hungarian parliament banned nationalist events considered to beryllium successful breach of the Child Protection Act, which heavy restricted depictions of homosexuality and sex reassignment.

The substance allows authorities to usage facial designation tools to place radical who organise and be forbidden events, starring to fines of up to 200,000 Hungarian forints (€485). If not paid, the fines volition beryllium collected arsenic taxes.

Based connected the law, constabulary aboriginal banned the solemnisation of the Budapest Pride, which draws thousands of visitors to the metropolis each year.

The wide politician of Budapest, Gergely Karacsony, struck a defiant code and announced the solemnisation of an umbrella lawsuit called "Day of Freedom" to bypass the prohibition.

"Budapest metropolis hallway volition organise the Budapest Pride march arsenic a section lawsuit connected 28 June, Period," Karacsony said past week.

In her message, von der Leyen joined the cause, expressing her "full enactment and solidarity" to Hungary's LGBTIQ+ community.

"In Europe, marching for your rights is simply a cardinal freedom. You person the close to emotion who you privation to emotion and beryllium precisely who you are," she said.

"Our Union is 1 of equality and non-discrimination. These are our halfway values, enshrined successful our treaties. They indispensable beryllium respected astatine each times, successful each subordinate states."

Orbán replied astir instantly to her video message.

"Dear Madam President, I impulse the European Commission to refrain from interfering successful the instrumentality enforcement affairs of Member States, wherever it has nary relation to play," helium said.

"I besides telephone connected the Commission to absorption its efforts connected the pressing challenges facing the European Union—areas wherever it does person a wide relation and responsibility, and wherever it has made superior mistakes successful caller years, specified arsenic the vigor situation and the erosion of European competitiveness."

The Commission has not yet announced ineligible enactment against Hungary.

This is simply a processing story.