Key Facts
• June 28, 2025: Pride Parade held in Budapest despite legal ban.
• Approximately 100,000 participants protested against Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s policies.
• Parade started at Budapest City Hall and marched through the city center.
• Participants carried rainbow flags and anti-Orbán placards.
• Attendees from 30 countries joined to support diversity.
• March 2025: Hungarian parliament passed a law effectively banning Pride Parades.
• Law includes facial recognition surveillance to identify participants.
• Budapest’s liberal mayor declared the parade a city event despite police rejection.
• Orbán warned of legal consequences for the parade.
• Ambassadors from 30 countries, including the UK, France, and Germany, expressed support.
• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urged Hungary to allow the event.
Summary
On June 28, 2025, approximately 100,000 people participated in a Pride Parade in Budapest, Hungary, defying a legal ban imposed by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government. The event celebrated diversity and protested against increasing oppression of LGBTQ+ rights. Participants marched through the city center, carrying rainbow flags and anti-government placards. The ban, passed in March 2025, includes facial recognition surveillance to identify attendees, sparking domestic and international criticism. Despite police rejection, Budapest’s liberal mayor declared the parade a city event. Support for the parade extended globally, with ambassadors from 30 countries and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen advocating for its approval. The event highlighted growing tensions between Hungary’s conservative government and liberal opposition.
