LGBT+ Pride Parade in Budapest defies ban and gathers 200 people.

247 - Even under strong legal and political repression, tens of thousands of people took to the streets of the Hungarian capital this weekend to participate in the Budapest LGBTQ+ Pride Parade. According to organizers' estimates, the event may have gathered a record number of 200 participants—a gesture of resistance in a country that has tightened its laws against the LGBTQ+ community in recent years. (Source: [Source Name]) BBC News.

The government of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, known for his conservative nationalist stance, officially banned the event based on a controversial "child protection" law that prohibits gatherings deemed to "promote homosexuality." Nevertheless, the march took place with widespread popular support and backing from national and international political figures.

“Of course the police could break up these events, because they have the authority to do so, but Hungary is a civilized country, a civic society. We don’t hurt each other,” Orbán told state radio on Friday. “There will be legal consequences, but it cannot escalate to physical violence.”

The legislation provides for fines of up to €500 (approximately R$3) for participants, who can be identified by facial recognition technology. Organizers face the possibility of up to one year in prison.

Among the protesters, Luca, 34, participated alongside his mother, Enikö, in a protest against restrictions on civil liberties. “We have a law that prohibits people who are different from others from gathering. That’s why we’re here. Because it violates our rights. That’s why we came,” he told the BBC. She also revealed her fear for the future of her four-year-old daughter “in a country where she can’t love whomever she wants.”

Barnabás, 22, also marched, even though he doesn't belong to the LGBTQ+ community. Coming from rural Hungary, where, according to him, "people tend to be more xenophobic and homophobic," he justified his presence: "I know what it's like to be unseen and treated as an outcast, which obviously doesn't apply to anyone here."

The march also had the support of European authorities. The European Commissioner for Equality, Hadja Lahbib, was present in Budapest and published a picture alongside the city's mayor, Gergely Karácsony, in front of a rainbow flag. For her, the parade "will be a powerful symbol of the strength of civil society."

Li Andersson, a Member of the European Parliament from Finland, also attended the event. “It’s important to emphasize that the reason we are here is not just Pride – it’s about the fundamental rights of all of us,” she stated. She criticized the Hungarian government’s political use of family values: “[It’s] a march that is fundamentally about equality and equal rights for everyone – for anyone, about the right to love and live with whomever one chooses. And I think that’s a central value that any free and democratic society should respect.”

Mayor Karácsony, an opponent of Orbán, stated that, because it was co-organized by the city hall, the march has a municipal character and therefore does not require police authorization. The event also received the support of the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who asked the Hungarian government not to block the demonstration.

In response, Orbán maintained his firm stance and declared: “I ask that you refrain from interfering in the public security affairs of EU member states.”