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THOUSANDS OF Hungarians marched in Budapest’s biggest Pride parade today, amid tension sparked by a series of anti-gay steps by prime minister Viktor Orban.
After an “anti-paedophilia” law was adopted by parliament last month, Orban’s critics at home and in Brussels have accused him of conflating paedophilia with homosexuality.
“Many people are dismayed at the new law and the anti-gay propaganda,” Johanna Majercsik, a spokesperson for the Budapest Pride organiser, told AFP.
“They want to show their support for the LGBTQ community,” said Majercsik, adding that this year’s Pride was the biggest in its 26-year history.
According to an AFP photographer, more than 10,000 people took part in the colourful parade which moved along a main boulevard before crossing the Danube river to finish in a park.
Although Orban portrays the bill as protecting children, LGBTQ leaders say it stigmatises gay people and aims to shore up the premier’s radical right-wing support ahead of an election next year.
“I’ve never been at a Pride before, although I always rooted for LGBTQ people and understood their problems,” said Zsofi Varadi, a 46-year-old mother of two, before putting on a rainbow-coloured T-shirt.
“But this year I really got angry as there is so much propaganda against them, they need to see many people supporting them,” Varadi told AFP before heading off on the parade which passed off peacefully.
Rainbow-coloured flags hung from several balconies on buildings along the route, while placards carried by the marches mocked Orban and his ruling party Fidesz whose lawmakers introduced the bill to parliament.
Orban said Wednesday that a national vote would be held to gauge domestic support for the law after the European Commission launched legal action against Budapest over the measure.
Counter-demo
A group of around 200 counter-demonstrators along the route held banners reading “Stop LGBTQ paedophilia,” and shouted homophobic insults over lines of police who separated them from the marchers.
“The anti-paedophilia law has given patriots like us a weapon to protect our children from deviants like them,” a speaker told counter-demonstrators through a megaphone.
Since the law was approved by the Fidesz-dominated parliament on 15 June, several homophobic attacks have been reported in local media, while LGBTQ activists warn of growing fear in their community.
“It’s kind of scary to be honest, to be myself as a gender fluid person, you can be beaten up or stuff like that,” said Artur, a 16-year-old marcher.
“Pride marches in eastern Europe especially are less about celebration and more about protest, with more to protest against every year,” said Luca Dudits, 24, who co-heads LGBTQ rights group, Hatter Society.
“It is now more important than ever to take to the streets together in this fight for the rights and freedom of LGBTQ people,” Dudits told AFP.
Several dozen ambassadors based in the Hungarian capital also attended the march, after over 40 embassies and foreign cultural institutes issued a joint statement of support for LGBTQ rights earlier this week.
The latest legislation is seen by its supporters as part of Orban’s project since he took power in 2010 to reshape Hungary into a so-called “illiberal” socially conservative bastion.
The latest law was originally limited to tougher action against child sexual abuse, but its final version banned the “depiction or promotion” of homosexuality and gender reassignment to under-18s.
The referendum called by Orban would comprise five questions, including asking citizens if they agree that schools should be permitted to “talk about sexuality to their children without their consent”.
It will also ask participants if they support “the promotion of sex reassignment treatment for minors” or the “unrestricted exposure of children to harmful sexual content”.
No date has been set for the referendum.
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State victimisation of the LGBTQ community today. Who will be next? Maybe they are following Hitlers playbook? Horrible situation in Hungary. The EU needs to challenge them or throw them out.
@Paul Furey: I think we followed Hitler when we voted for the abortion of less than perfect offspring.
@Liam Mernagh: when was that vote and can you show me the wording where less than perfect is specified?
@Dave O’Keeffe: the repeal of the eighth which I’m sure you’re very familiar with and don’t need me to tell you anything about it, but look at down syndrome.
@Liam Mernagh: https://youtu.be/Qa-3bSLEwYU
@Liam Mernagh: if that’s your understanding, you need to read a bit more.
@Liam Mernagh: so that’s a no then? What about Down Syndrome would you like me to look at?
@Liam Mernagh: please tell me you work in PR. If not, you’re absolutely wasted with a spin like that!
@Liam Mernagh: watch you don’t fall with that big a leap
@Liam Mernagh: if a woman doesn’t want to be pregnant, she doesnt have to be. It’s people like you that wanted to take that choice away from her. The removal of choice was a corner stone of nazi politics in order to control the people of Germany and youd have no qualms doing the same to women here. It shows you know as much about history as you do about womens rights. Now sit TF down
@Liam Mernagh: is this thing allowed out unsupervised?
@Colm Walsh: we still don’t have choice. No abortions on demand have been performed in ROI. Not. One.
@Paul Furey: They did follow Hitler’s playbook in the 1940’s and it landed them with Stalinism. You’d think a few people would have learned a lesson there but it doesn’t look like it.
@Steven Moens: who? The nazis? Pretty sure they got their own term, also pretty sure they weren’t communists. In fact I’m certain that their hierarchical system looks nothing like the scurge that is communism
@Colm Walsh: I know enough to know that people like you continue to provide ignorant answers to anything you don’t want to acknowledge.
@Contrary Mary: what about the abortion that led to the high court case where an award was made because the abortion should not have happened. We live in a crazy topsy turbulent world.
@Dave O’Keeffe: read up again man and inform yourself, are you saying that Down syndrome is not grounds for termination?
@Jen: spinning like a top like the law!!
@Contrary Mary: Another Journal genius spouting inaccurate information. There been over 13,500 abortions carried out since 2019.
But but but all Hungarians are homophobic according to the experts of the journal comment section.
@Roy Dowling: So because gay people exist in Hungary, it can’t be homophobic? Nice logic.
And public opinion polling in Hungary on LGBT issues show it’s one of the least-LGBT friendly nation in Europe.
https://fra.europa.eu/sites/default/files/eu-lgbt-survey-results-at-a-glance_en.pdf
@Roy Dowling: familiar with the strawman fallacy?
@Roy Dowling: Ireland voted overwhelming for equality and gay marriage, but a lot of people voted against it. Majority does not equal everyone
@Roy Dowling: Thousands were also opposed to Brexit, unfortunately not as many as those who supported it. Dude, we know your wife is Hungarian as you’ve mentioned it several times, there’s no point in pretending your point of view is motivated by anything but personal bias so drop the smarmy ‘show’s what you know’ tone.
The fact is the majority of Hungary voted this a-hole into office knowing his policies but the proof will be in the pudding when it comes to the referendum on the matter. We’ll see.
Now this is a proper cause worth marching for.
Just imagine being parents to children who are LGBTQ in hungry and this nonsense coming from the Government. what does it actually serve… nothing
What waffle. This medicore march blown out of all proportion by the MSM. Bring on the referendum when the people will be heard.
@Raymond Barry: which referendum….for what?
@Raymond Barry: Boil yer head.
@Raymond Barry: go polish your little jackboots.
LONG LIVE HUNGARY, ITS PEOPLE AND ITS GOVERNMENT, WE THE IRISH PEOPLE SALUTE AND SUPPORT YOU.
@Patrick O’Riordan: Quick follow up Hungry’s Gov – only Patrick O’Riordan seems to be saluting and supporting you.
Where are we heading now? In the Book of Daniel, we read, “At the appointed time [the king of the north] will return back.” (11:29a) Russia will regain the influence, which it lost after the break-up of the Soviet Union. Furthermore, it also means crisis, which will eclipse the Great Depression. Not only the eurozone will break up, but also the European Union and NATO. Then, also, many countries of the former Eastern block will return to a military alliance with Russia.
I really wish people wouldn’t use the acronym LGBTQ.
Q stands for ‘q***r’ in that acronym.
Q***r remains a gravely offensive, homophobic hate slur.
@Cookie: thought it was “Questioning”
@Cookie: it was a slur but has been embraced as a positive empowering word, depending on the context it is used in
@Anna Carr: You’re right it’s both though.
@Cookie: no its not.
@Cookie: so very many gay friends of mine prefer the term queer! Unless we have a horse in the race (ie unless we ourselves are LGBTQi+) lets not ‘mansplain’ to those who are living their reality?
@Cookie: poor you. Its the LGBTQ community that came up with this…..and its showing to be an all inclusive community.
@Cookie: It’s not a slur anymore. Many people use ‘queer’ as like an umbrella term to mean they identify as something other than straight.
@Anna Carr: The full acronym is LGBTQQIA+. The first Q refers to Queer, the second is Questioning.
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