Hungary bans Pride parade in crackdown on LGBTQ+ community

Lawmakers claim the annual march could harm children

Members of the LGBTQ+ community and their allies march in the Budapest Pride parade in 2023 (AP)

Hungary's parliament has passed a law banning the annual Budapest Pride march, citing potential harm to children.

The move comes just days before a key EU summit in Brussels and amid a surge in support for a new opposition party challenging Prime Minister Viktor Orban's leadership ahead of the 2026 elections.

The bill, introduced on Monday and swiftly approved on Tuesday, follows criticism of the LGBTQ+ community from Mr Orban.

His party said the march, which was due to celebrate its 30th birthday in June, violated Hungary’s “child protection” legislation.

The controversial law bans the “depiction or promotion” of homosexuality to those under 18.

Mr Orban has also vowed to clamp down on foreign funding for independent media and NGOs within Hungary.

The ban has drawn sharp criticism, particularly from Budapest's liberal mayor.

Smoke flares were set off inside Hungary’s parliament during the vote (Reuters)

During the parliamentary vote, lawmakers from the opposition party Momentum staged a protest, deploying smoke flares and scattering manipulated images of Mr Orban and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Despite the ban, Pride organisers have confirmed their intention to proceed with this year's march.

This latest move by Mr Orban adds to a growing list of controversies as he navigates both domestic political challenges and his role on the European stage. He also backed a resolution opposing joint EU borrowing for defence spending.

Parliament also passed a resolution opposing joint European borrowing for defence, after Mr Orban said last week that Hungary should take part in common European defence policy and contribute funds to it, but should not agree to joint borrowing.

The European Commission proposed earlier this month to borrow up to €150 billion (£126 billion) to lend to EU governments under a rearmament plan.

For approval, the proposal requires a qualified majority, or the backing of at least 15 of the EU's 27 countries, representing at least 65 per cent of the bloc's population. Hungary alone cannot block the plan.