“No room for discrimination”: EU slams Hungary’s LGBTQ law
The European Commission stands with the LGBTQ community in Hungary, and in every other EU member state, the European Commissioner for Democracy, Justice and Rule of Law said in a plenary session of the European Parliament on Wednesday.
In a debate on Hungary’s recent legislative amendments and their impact on fundamental rights, Michael McGrath said in connection with the constitutional amendment submitted to parliament that affects Pride marches in Budapest that there was no room for discrimination in the EU.
The commissioner said the EU was “a union of freedom and equality” where everyone should be able to “be who they are, live and love freely”. He said fundamental rights needed to be protected across Europe as core elements of democracy.
The new law, the commissioner said, was incompatible with the values enshrined in the provisions of the EU treaty as well as of the European Charter of Fundamental Rights. He added that the Hungarian law contained provisions that were “disproportionate to achieve the stated objective”.
“The Commission will not hesitate to take further action and, where appropriate, launch infringement procedures to ensure respect of the rule of law and fundamental rights in Hungary,” McGrath said.
Tamás Deutsch, the head of the Fidesz-Christian Democrat EP delegation, said in his address that the principle of putting the protection of children first had been enshrined in the constitution, adding that the Hungarian solution was “exemplary”. He also said the freedom of assembly was more respected in Hungary than in any other European country.
Deutsch said that while Europe was being “overrun by illegal migrants, the competitiveness of European national economies is in ruin and inflation and energy prices are skyrocketing because of ill-advised sanctions”, the EP was “passing the time with another cheap political show attacking Hungary”.
Fidesz’s András László said they “stand with the right of parents to decide what is best for the physical, moral and intellectual development of their children”.
Zoltán Tarr of the opposition Tisza Party said that “though there has been an authoritarian, selfish and hypocritical government in power in Hungary for 15 years, people have the courage to say that they’ve had enough”. He said the Hungarian government’s “desperate measures” were dividing society, restricting fundamental rights and were aimed at “keeping power at all costs”.
Csaba Molnár of the opposition Democratic Coalition (DK) said the ban on the Budapest Pride march was not about child protection but “homophobia”. He said DK was the only party in the EP that refused to compromise on its position that no one could be deprived of their most fundamental democratic rights just because they had a gender identity or sexual orientation that differed from the majority.
Zsuzsanna Borvendég of the opposition Our Homeland party said the Hungarian legislative amendment in question was taking the fight to a lobby that aimed to eliminate the traditional social order. She asked the Hungarian government to be more consistent and effective in protecting families and to dismiss procedures against those who had spoken out against the spread of “LGBTQ propaganda” in schools.
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