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“I suggest that the organisers of Budapest Pride don’t put much effort into planning this year. It is a waste of time and money.” – said Viktor Orbán in late February in his annual address to his faithful. A few months later, his party, Fidesz, modified the Hungarian constitution so that “the display and promotion of homosexuality” can be banned from public spaces under the guise of “child protection.” Those who would organise and partake in such events were threatened with fines, possibly as high as £400.
Orbán had to make his annual early-year address in a tense environment for a second year in a row. Last February, Hungary was engulfed by a major political scandal when President Katalin Novák resigned after it emerged that she pardoned the deputy principal of an orphanage who tried to cover up the systemic sexual abuse of children.
Since then, Fidesz has struggled to take back control of the narrative. While the party won the European elections last June, Péter Magyar’s new Tisza Party, directly spawned by the clemency scandal, gained 30% of the votes. Since then, by constantly touring the country and highlighting the dire state of Hungary’s railways and healthcare, Magyar’s party has slowly overtaken Fidesz and is now in a consistent, clear lead with even a possibility of a constitutional majority in 2026.
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This sparked a visible panic in Fidesz, resulting in increasingly authoritarian measures. Apart from the Pride ban, in the past few months, Fidesz attempted to dismantle the independent Hungarian press by banning any form of foreign funding. In a speech in March, Orbán called his opponents “bedbugs.” Earlier this year, the government introduced legislation allowing for the suspension of dual nationals’ Hungarian citizenship.
Meanwhile the Government upped their dehumanising rhetoric towards the LGBT community, with ministers cynically suggesting that Pride should be held at Kincsem Park, Hungary’s national horse race course. Fidesz elevated their anti-Ukraine rhetoric too. Prominent Fidesz politician Alexandra Szentkirályi posted a video of herself with a handcuffed man behind her in the trunk of a car, suggesting that if Ukraine joins the EU, Hungarians will fall victim to people smugglers.
However, what is really different from the Government’s current aggressive communications campaigns, compared to previous years is that this time, they simply do not seem to work. Fidesz keeps making unforced errors, previously uncharacteristic of Viktor Orbán. Efforts to relaunch Hungary’s battered economy have been failing constantly despite repeated grandiose statements.
Orbán’s endorsement of the far-right politician George Simion, who partly rose to prominence through his vandalising of graves of Hungarian soldiers in the presidential elections of Romania drew backlash even among his own supporters. Orbán even failed to push through the proposed legislation intended to target independent media due to opposition from within his own party. This is an extremely rare occurrence, both because of the size of his majority and his grip on the party.
The Budapest Pride ban failed spectacularly, too. Upon Orbán’s original remarks, organisers immediately announced they would go ahead with the march anyway. The exact plans were kept under wraps for a long time, but two weeks before the event, it was revealed that the Budapest City Council would help organise Pride. Mayor Gergely Karácsony announced the council would revive a tradition of holding an event on the last Saturday of June, commemorating the Soviet troops’ departure from Hungary.
The event was named Budapesti Büszkeség Menete (The Pride of Budapest March), co-organised with the civil organisers of Budapest Pride. As Karácsony stated, the attendees would come to Pride in their hearts, but strictly legally speaking, they would attend a different event. Exercising this legal loophole was crucial, as events organised by local councils in Hungary are not required to seek permission from the police.
The event itself exceeded all expectations. Organisers estimate that between 180,000-200,000 people marched in good spirits from Central Budapest’s Deák Tér to the Budapest University of Technology and Economics in 30-degree heat. The event not only turned out to be the largest ever in Budapest Pride’s 30-year history, but also the largest ever protest during Viktor Orbán’s tenure.
In the end, Fidesz’s decision to ban the march only resulted in providing a continuous five-month promotion campaign for the event, drawing in people who never attended Pride before: “No one’s rights to assembly should be restricted. The government should stay out of people’s business. I’m a teacher and I have colleagues who are members of the LGBT community, and they have never harmed any children, “ – one of the marchers told Byline Times.
The event clearly moved the Hungarian diaspora as well. There were reports of Hungarians flying home for the weekend from all over Europe. The day before Budapest Pride, London Luton Airport was full of same-sex parents and queer people boarding the flight to attend. The news of the event clearly reached the wider European LGBT community too, as many also arrived to partake from different countries. Prominent European politicians and activists, including Greta Thunberg, were also present.
