Hungary Prosecutors Charge Budapest Mayor Over Pride March Defying Ban

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – The progressive mayor of Budapest has condemned Hungarian prosecutors for seeking to fine him after hundreds of thousands of people joined a Pride march in the Hungarian capital despite a government-backed ban.

The June demonstration drew global attention as the ruling Fidesz party, led by right-wing nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, supported legislation creating a legal basis for Pride events to be prohibited, citing a need to “protect children.”

Orbán has defended the measures as necessary to uphold Christian family values, saying he opposes “LGBTQ+ propaganda” in schools and other areas where minors could see it.

Hungarian police subsequently banned Budapest Pride, but Mayor Gergely Karácsony declared the march a municipal event in an attempt to circumvent official authorisation.

A record number of people—including Hungarians from across the country as well as dozens of Members of the European Parliament and officials from elsewhere in Europe—turned up, transforming the gathering into a symbol of pushback against Orbán’s government and its perceived rollback of rights, observers said.

On Wednesday, prosecutors said Karácsony had “organised and led a public gathering despite the police ban,” adding that they were proposing “that the court impose a fine on the defendant in a summary judgment without a trial.” The statement did not specify the amount.

ELECTIONS IN APRIL

The move comes less than three months before parliamentary elections in which Orbán, long criticised by opponents and rights groups for weakening democratic institutions, eroding media freedom, and undermining the rule of law, is facing an unprecedented challenge from Péter Magyar, a former senior figure from within Orbán’s own political camp.

Campaigners have suggested LGBTQ+ communities are increasingly being “scapegoated” as the government seeks to shore up support among conservative voters amid tightening polls ahead of the April 12 vote.

Orbán, 62, has accused his opponents of seeking to push an LGBTQ+ agenda imposed by Brussels on the Hungarian population.

Karácsony, who has led Budapest since 2019 and is a prominent opposition figure, responded quickly. “I have gone from being a proud suspect to a proud defendant,” he wrote in comments monitored by Worthy News. “Because it seems that this is the price we pay in this country when we stand up for our own freedom and that of others.”

He vowed to continue resisting what he called “selfish, petty and despicable power,” adding: “When people who want to live, to love, to be happy are betrayed by their own country, betrayed by their government, resistance is a duty.”

Ahead of the march, government officials had warned organisers could face up to a year in prison. Authorities also said facial recognition software could be used to identify participants and fine attendees up to 500 euros ($545).

EU LEADERS ANGRY

However, police announced in July that they would not take action against the estimated 200,000 people who joined the event.

European politicians condemned the prosecution’s decision. Vula Tsetsi, co-chair of the European Green Party, said the case carried broader significance.

“This is not just about Pride; it is a test of whether the EU will stand for democracy,” she said.

Her fellow co-chair, Ciarán Cuffe, said the attempt to punish an elected mayor without granting a trial “underlines the authoritarian trajectory of Hungary under Orbán,” urging European institutions not to look away when peaceful assembly is criminalised.

The case is expected to deepen furthertensions between Orbán’s nationalist government and European leaders who have repeatedly criticised Hungary’s direction on civil liberties and democratic standards.

Orbán, a close ally of U.S. President Donald J. Trump, insists that his government is targeted for defending Christian values.

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