Budapest Mayor Pride March Sparks Major Legal Charges

Budapest mayor Gergely Karácsony faces criminal charges linked to his role in organizing the 2025 Pride March in Hungary’s capital. Prosecutors are seeking a financial penalty and a case resolution without trial, a move that has intensified concerns about rule of law, human rights, and fundamental freedoms in Hungary .

Charges stem from a police ban placed on the Pride March initially scheduled for June 19, 2025. Authorities cited amended “child protection” legislation and an alleged clash with another public event as justification. In response, Karácsony reclassified the Pride March as a municipal event, arguing that police authorization was no longer required. He proceeded to lead the peaceful march on June 28, which drew record attendance and unfolded without reported violence.

Prosecuting an elected official for facilitating a peaceful assembly signals a dangerous precedent . Legal action of this nature suggests that both public officials and ordinary citizens may face punishment for exercising fundamental rights. Similar criminal considerations reportedly target a teacher and human rights activist in the city of Pécs after organizing a local Pride event despite police opposition.

How This Affects The LQBT Community Hostility toward LGBT rights in Hungary has intensified in recent years. Parliament passed measures in March 2025 banning Pride events nationwide and authorizing facial recognition technology to identify organizers and participants, exposing individuals to fines of up to €500. Constitutional amendments adopted a month later elevated “child protection” above other fundamental rights, granting authorities expanded powers to restrict freedoms, including the right to peaceful assembly. Gender recognition has also been restricted by defining gender strictly as biological sex at birth, effectively denying legal recognition of transgender people.

Earlier legislation from 2021 curtailed access to LGBT related content for minors in schools and media. These developments prompted the European Union to initiate infringement proceedings, with the case currently before the EU Court of Justice and a ruling still pending.

Concerns extend beyond LGBT rights into broader democratic governance. Since 2010, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has overseen policies that critics say weaken judicial independence, restrict media freedom, and marginalize civil society. Governance by decree has increasingly replaced parliamentary debate, further eroding democratic checks and balances.

Legal action against Mayor Karácsony reflects a wider pattern of democratic backsliding. Dismissal of these charges remains essential to safeguarding freedom of assembly and political participation. European institutions are being urged to intensify use of conditionality tools, infringement procedures, and advance the stalled Article 7 process to hold Hungary accountable for ongoing violations.