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Hungary Banned Pride But Budapest Mayor Found A Way

A demonstrator marches in Budapest pride holding a sign that says "Liberation Orban"

As Hungary tightens laws against LGBTQ+ expression, Budapest’s mayor redefined Pride as city business—and refused to back down.

Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony defied a police ban on the Pride march by declaring it a city celebration, bypassing permit requirements, and making the city the official host. The march, scheduled for June 28, had originally been banned by Hungarian police under a controversial “child protection” law passed in March 2025. The law gives police authority to block events deemed to expose minors to “non-traditional gender ideology.” Pride organizers had planned a peaceful march through central Budapest, but were told by authorities that the event could not proceed due to concerns about minors encountering LGBTQ+ visibility in public.

Rather than cancel the event, Mayor Karácsony announced that the city of Budapest would host its municipal (public) celebration of Pride—removing it from the legal category of a private demonstration, which requires permits under the new law. By naming it a municipal event, the mayor effectively circumvented the national government’s ban, making it harder for police to prevent the gathering without directly challenging city authority.

Related: Hungary Passes New Amendment Banning LGBTQ+ Public Events, Protests Ensue

In a public statement, Karácsony declared, “Budapest city hall will organise the Budapest Pride march on 28 June as a city event. Period.”

The mayor’s defiance has drawn both domestic and international praise. More than 70 members of the European Parliament, along with the Mayor of Amsterdam, have announced their attendance at the event in solidarity. LGBTQ+ rights groups across Europe are calling Karácsony’s move “a model of democratic resistance” in the face of creeping authoritarianism.

The Orbán government has steadily escalated its attacks on queer and trans communities in recent years, using children’s safety as a justification for censorship and erasure. Earlier laws have banned the depiction of LGBTQ+ content in schools, media, and advertisements. The new law now extends that censorship to public gatherings, effectively outlawing visibility itself.

But Budapest, a city with a long tradition of progressive activism, is pushing back. Karácsony’s move to host the event as a city function means it’s now being referred to now as a “Festival of Pride and Freedom,” with a focus on community, dignity, and resistance—deliberately emphasizing inclusivity while avoiding what organizers call “Orbanist caricatures” of LGBTQ+ life.

While legal experts remain divided on whether the national government will challenge Karácsony’s maneuver in court, one thing is clear: Hungary’s LGBTQ+ community will not be erased quietly. And this year, it’s not just activists marching—it’s the city itself. Pride is not the threat; erasing it is.

Related: Hungary’s Fight For Pride Spreads Internationally As Organizers Plan Largest Event In Nation’s History