Beneath a blaze of rainbow flags and amid roars of defiance, big crowds gathered in the Hungarian capital Budapest for the city\u2019s 30th annual Pride march \u2013 an event that, this year, is unfolding as both a celebration and a protest. <\/p>\n
Moving through the capital in the sweltering heat, demonstrators carried signs reading \u201cSolidarity with Budapest Pride\u201d and waved placards bearing crossed-out illustrations of Prime Minister Viktor Orb\u00e1n. <\/p>\n
Music played from portable speakers as people of all ages joined the march \u2013 families with pushchairs, teenagers draped in capes, and older residents walking alongside activists. <\/p>\n
From the city\u2019s historic centre to its riverside roads, the procession swelled in numbers and noise \u2013 visibly reclaiming public space in defiance of a law designed to push them out. <\/p>\n
The march proceeded in open defiance of a police ban imposed earlier this year under sweeping new legislation that prohibits LGBTQ+ events nationwide. <\/p>\n
Eszter Rein Bodi was one of those who joined the massive crowds in Budapest on Saturday, telling Reuters: \u201cThis is about much more, not just about homosexuality \u2026 This is the last moment to stand up for our rights.\u201d <\/p>\n
Krisztina Aranyi, another marcher, told the news agency that \u201cthe right to assembly is a basic human right, and I don\u2019t think it should be banned.\u201d <\/p>\n
She added, \u201cJust because someone does not like the reason why you go to the street, or they do not agree with it, you still have the right to do so.\u201d <\/p>\n
Huge crowds turned out in the city for the parade, with many holding homemade banners aloft. One sign read \u201cTransgender people are a blessing on this earth\u201d while another banner read \u201cProud. United. Equal in every corner of the EU.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cPride is a protest, and if Orb\u00e1n can ban Budapest Pride without consequences, every pride is one election away from being banned,\u201d she continued. <\/p>\n
In March, Hungarian lawmakers passed legislation barring Pride events and permitting the use of facial recognition technology to identify participants \u2013 measures campaigners say is illegal and part of a wider crackdown on the LGBTQ+ community. <\/p>\n
Orban welcomed the ban, which he said would outlaw gatherings that \u201cviolate child protection laws.\u201d His government has pushed a strongly Christian and conservative agenda. <\/p>\n
The ban sparked lively protests in Budapest in March, with organizers of the city\u2019s Pride vowing to continue with the annual festival despite the new law and declaring: \u201cWe will fight this new fascist ban.\u201d <\/p>\n
A petition demanding police reject the ban has gathered over 120,000 signatures from supporters in 73 countries, urging authorities to \u201creject this unjust law\u201d \u2013 believed to be the first of its kind in the EU\u2019s recent history \u2013 and ensure that the march proceeded \u201cunhindered and peacefully, free from discrimination, harassment, fear or violence.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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