Saturday 24th July 2021
Record number of participants in Hungary
Loud protest against Orban’s LGBTIQ law
According to observers, the hostile policies against non-heterosexual people of Hungary’s Prime Minister Orban have attracted more than 10,000 demonstrators. A new record for the annual Pride Parade in Budapest. Foreign diplomats also provided support.
Thousands of Hungarians demonstrated in Budapest for the rights of non-heterosexual people. It was the highest number of participants since the first march 26 years ago, said a spokeswoman for the organizers, Johanna Majercsik. An AFP reporter estimated the number of protesters at more than 10,000. In light of the controversial LGBTIQ law and “anti-homosexual propaganda” by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, many people wanted to show “their support for the LGBTQ community,” said Majercsik.
Dozens of diplomats from diplomatic missions in the Hungarian capital also took part in the colorful parade through the streets of Budapest. In the past few years, the event had been massively disrupted by right-wing extremists. This year it remained quiet except for homophobic abuse from counter-demonstrators. The police separated the approximately 200 supporters of the right-wing conservative Orban from the participants in the parade.
The controversial LGBTIQ law banning “advertising” for homosexual and transsexuality came into force around two weeks ago. Books on this subject must now be labeled in Hungary with the notice “Prohibited for under 18-year-olds”, films on LGBTIQ subjects are no longer allowed to be broadcast during prime time. The official aim of the law is the protection of minors. Activists, on the other hand, speak of a blow against the LGBTIQ community.
The English abbreviation LGBTIQ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersexual and queer; Critics in Hungary see members of these sexual minorities as being discriminated against. The EU launched infringement proceedings against Budapest in response to the LGBTIQ law. Europe will never allow “parts of our society to be discriminated against,” said EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.
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