Budapest, 28 June 2025 (dpa/MIA) - Budapest is due to hold its annual Pride Parade on Saturday in a showdown between the government of right-wing populist Viktor Orbán and the capital's leftist liberal mayor, Gergely Karácsony, as the event is officially banned.

The government and police decided the parade would not be allowed under legislation from earlier this year forbidding the exposure of young people to non-heterosexual lifestyles.

Pride parades are demonstrations advocating for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people.

Karácsony, of the Green Party, has declared Pride an official celebration of the capital, arguing that laws governing the right of assembly do not apply, so Pride does not require police permission.

Hungarian Justice Minister Bence Tuzson has already threatened Karácsony with a prison sentence of up to one year for his role in organizing the event.

Tuzson also wrote to several foreign embassies in Budapest to inform them that Pride was banned.

Budapest Pride atttracting EU attention

The issue has drawn ire beyond Hungary's borders, with more than 70 members of parliament from various countries announcing their participation. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also called on Hungarian authorities to lift a ban on the Pride celebration.

"Our Union is one of equality and non-discrimination," von der Leyen wrote in a statement. She called these "core values" that "must be respected at all times, in all Member States."

Meanwhile in Hungary, the far-right parliamentary party Mi Hazank, our Our Homeland, is planning to stage a counter-demonstration in Budapest at the same time, which has been approved by the police and is likely to encounter the Pride parade.

Karácsony called on the police to ensure that there are no conflicts between Pride participants and their opponents.