Twenty-five embassies support 20th Budapest Pride

Budapest (MTI) – Twenty-five embassies in Hungary have expressed their support for the 20th Budapest Pride Festival in a joint statement sent to MTI on Friday.

The embassies of the Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, New Zealand, The United Kingdom and the United States signed the statement.

The embassies conveyed their support to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities in Hungary and “their right to express themselves peacefully and lawfully,” the statement said.

“Respect for human rights — including justice, equality, non-discrimination, freedom of expression as well as the non-interference in the practice of these rights — and the rule of law are the foundations upon which democratic states are built,” it said.

The embassies welcomed the Hungarian government’s commitment to supporting the above rights and its support in June 2011 and September 2014 of the United Nations Human Rights Council Resolutions on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, it added.

Further the embassies said they looked forward to the events of the Budapest Pride, “which has the longest history of such events” in central and eastern Europe, and the respect of the Hungarian people for them. They also trust that Hungarian authorities would “not to allow those of extreme views to disrupt what should and will be joyful occasions,” the statement added.

Photo: MTI

Source: MTI