BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Police issued an order on Tuesday denying a request to hold an LGBTQ+ event later in central Budapest, a consequence of recent steps by the right-wing populist government aimed at banning the popular Budapest Pride march.
The police’s decision to prohibit the planned event later this month came after Hungary’s parliament passed legislation in March, and a constitutional amendment the following month, that allowed the government to ban public events by LGBTQ+ communities — moves that legal scholars and critics have called another step toward authoritarianism by the autocratic government.
In its justification for prohibiting the Budapest event, which organizers requested to take place on June 28, the city’s police argued that “it cannot be ruled out, or is even inevitable, that a person under the age of 18 will be able to engage in legally prohibited conduct” if attending the proposed march.
The police also contended that the march could result in “passive victims,” who, “because of the assembly’s march-like nature, did not wish to attend the assembly but, because of its public nature, nevertheless become a bystander.”
In a statement, the organizers called the police decision “a textbook example of tyranny.”
The ban on LGBTQ+ events — which the government says ensures children’s rights to moral, physical and spiritual development — allows for fines on people organizing or taking part in Pride events, and the use of facial recognition software to identify them.
Hungary’s contentious “child protection” legislation prohibits the “depiction or promotion” of homosexuality to minors aged under 18.
Hungarian officials have given contradictory statements as to whether or not the new policies amount to a full ban on Budapest Pride. In a speech to supporters in February, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán advised organizers “not to bother organizing this year’s parade,” calling it “wasted money and time.”
The Budapest Police attached photographs and videos to its statement depicting scenes from previous Budapest Pride events — ostensibly evidence to corroborate its view that the march was likely to violate the new laws banning public displays of homosexuality.
France, Germany and Spain were among at least 20 European Union nations who last month called on Hungary to revise its legislation banning LGBTQ+ events, expressing concern that it runs contrary to the fundamental values of human dignity, freedom, equality and respect for human rights enshrined in EU treaties.
Organizers of Budapest Pride, which draws tens of thousands annually and is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, have vowed that the event will go on as planned despite the threat of legal sanctions.