Tens of Thousands March in Budapest Pride After Orbán Defeat

Tens of thousands of people marched through Budapest on Saturday for the 31st annual Budapest Pride, the first such event since former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán lost power in an April election. The march began in the afternoon as temperatures reached at least 38 C (100 F) during a record heat wave across much of Europe.

Organizers handed out water bottles, and the city utility opened fountains along the route. Participants started at the Opera house, moved through the city center, and crossed the Erzsébet Bridge over the Danube.

Orbán's government passed legislation and a constitutional amendment last year that outlawed Pride events. Police nevertheless authorized this year's march and supplied security along the route. Hungary's new government has not repealed the restrictions. The European Union's highest court ruled in April that a 2021 Orbán-era law limiting LGBTQ+ content for minors violates EU law.

Új, attending her third Pride, said the atmosphere felt more relaxed than in previous years. "There used to be a lot of tension. But now I see people as being somehow happier, and there are more older people, too," she said. Kristóf Györgyi, a first-time participant who traveled from Szeged, said he saw signs of possible future policy changes.

"The fact that there's already a debate in Parliament about whether an orphaned child is better off with a same-sex couple or in an orphanage is a positive sign," he said.

“Nobody should be stigmatised because of the way they love.”