A political storm has been ignited in Hungary after a photograph showing three young children attending this year’s Budapest Pride was shared online by Dóra Dúró, deputy speaker of parliament and a leading figure in the far-right Mi Hazánk party. The image prompted a wave of outrage, with Dúró subsequently removing the post from her Facebook page. She defended her actions by claiming that taking minors to such events endangers their “healthy physical and psychological development”.
Children at Pride?
Attendance at Budapest Pride appeared lower than last year, when the event evolved into a large-scale protest against the Orbán government. However, even despite sweltering heat, thousands participated and numerous photographs from the march circulated online. Dúró singled out what she described as the most “extreme” examples in a separate post, arguing they promoted “deviance”. Among them was a close-up image of three children, whose faces were not obscured.
The incident was highlighted by Nefi, an organisation supporting autistic and ADHD adults and their families. It noted that while the photograph had been deleted following public backlash, it had already spread widely—commenters suggested deliberately so. Although Hungarian law permits identifiable images to be taken at public mass events, publishing recognisable images of small children is generally considered inappropriate.
There were no age restrictions for attending Budapest Pride; families were free to participate, from young children to the elderly.
A question of harm
Dúró argued that any parent who takes a child to Pride or similar events risks harming their development. She said the responsibility lied with the parents who weaponized their children for the LGBTQ movement.
If you missed – Budapest Pride: Hungarian defence minister sparks criticism over remarks about transgender military applicants
Nefi, however, stated it was familiar with the mother of the three children—who are autistic—and said she attended out of pride in her children and their identity. According to the mother, the children were not traumatised, but simply “took part in an event with their family”.
“But when children’s faces are used to trigger a torrent of hateful comments against them, this has long ceased to be about freedom of expression,” Nefi wrote.
Hours before the Pride march, Dúró also announced that Mi Hazánk would award its “Public Courage” prize to Zoltán Vass, who had thrown rainbow flags into the Danube from Budapest’s Elisabeth Bridge ahead of the event.
Budapest Pride revellers defy heat and take to rainbow adorned streets – photo gallery
