Despite the adopted national ban, a gay pride parade will be held in Budapest at the end of June. This was announced by the mayor of the Hungarian capital, Gergely Karacsony, quoted by Reuters, reports News.bg.
“There are no first- or second-class citizens in this city. We know that we can only be free together“, said Karacsony. In his words, “neither freedom nor love can be banned“, emphasizing that Budapest Pride will take place.
The mayor announced that the municipality will cooperate with the organizers in planning the event on June 28. The march will be recognized as a municipal event in honor of freedom and will not require special permission from the authorities.
With this initiative, Karacsony circumvents a law passed in March by the Hungarian parliament, dominated by Prime Minister Viktor Orban's party. The law gives police the right to ban LGBT marches and use facial recognition technology to identify participants.
Orban's government has stepped up rhetoric and measures against the LGBT community, relying on the claim that "gender and LGBT ideology" threaten the country's Christian identity. According to the government, the ban in March is aimed at protecting children.