Pride Hungary: Banning LGBTI march for ‘resembling Budapest Pride’ a deeply disturbing development

26 May’s formal decision by Budapest police to ban an LGBTQI march in Budapest on 1 June, gives away the lie to the claim by Hungary’s EU minister, János Bóka, that “there is no such thing in Hungary as a Pride ban”, said Amnesty International Hungary, Háttér Society, Hungarian Helsinki Committee, Rainbow Mission Foundation (Budapest Pride’s foundation), and Hungarian Civil Liberties Union.

The police banned the event, citing the amendment passed in March that bans demonstrations that display homosexuality or sexual diversity as “violating the rights of children”. As required by law, the organisers of the protest had notified the police of the planned rally on 24 May. The reasoning behind the ban was that the demonstration was similar to the “previously established Pride schedule and forms of expression.”

“The aim of the demonstration is to speak up against the prevalent trans- and homophobia, to stand up for equal rights for the LGBTQI community and to draw attention to the fact that the infamous Section 33 outlawed legal gender recognition for trans people five years ago.

“The organisations have indicated in advance that the march will be peaceful, its aim is solely to raise awareness of the rights of LGBTQI people and to stand up for equality. The decision illustrates how arbitrary the application of the law is: the newly introduced restriction on the freedom of assembly aims to silence people and communities arbitrarily selected by the government and only allows public discourse on matters condoned by the ruling majority.

“By banning the event, the state discriminatorily restricts one of the most fundamental democratic rights: the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression. The decision implies that any kind of assembly can be held, except those that remind the police of the Pride March. What considerations are weighed in the decision-making, it is unknown. Such blatant arbitrariness by the authorities puts us all at risk, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, as they can now ban any community or opinion that the government finds uncomfortable for political reasons under the guise of ‘child protection’ – without any legal or scientific justification.”

“As human rights organisations, we work for the freedom of all of us and for a country where everyone can live safely. Amnesty International Hungary, Háttér Society, Hungarian Helsinki Committee, Rainbow Mission Foundation and the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union will not rest: we will challenge the police decision in court and will work with even more vigour to push the case forward, which could be the first step to getting the law, known as the “Pride ban”, struck down in national or international courts. Either way, Budapest Pride will happen. We believe that this case will pave the way for it, and everything can go back to the old 30-year tradition, which is marked by constructive cooperation between the organisers and the police.”