No fines for participants in Budapest Pride
Participants in the banned Pride march in Budapest on June 28 no longer have to fear fines or prison sentences. In a statement, the Budapest police announced that they will not take further legal action against the more than 200,000 people who joined the banned march.
The announcement came as a surprise. In the days leading up to the parade, police had prohibited the event, citing a law passed in March by Viktor Orbán's government that bans all LGBTQ+ events. Participants in such “prohibited” gatherings risk fines of up to 500 euros. Organisers of LGBTQ+ events face prison sentences of up to one year. Police are also allowed to use facial recognition technology to identify and fine participants.
Eventually, the mayor of Budapest, Gergely Karácsony, declared that Pride was a “municipal celebration” and could not be banned under Hungarian law. The mayor is now himself the subject of a police investigation. Observers see the police’s decision as a new and unexpected defeat for Orbán’s authoritarian policies. The record turnout at the Pride march was also seen as a strong signal of resistance to the government’s repressive stance.
