Banning Budapest Pride: A Warning to European Individual Freedoms
Brussels February - In his latest attack on individual freedoms, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has called for a ban on Budapest Pride, signaling yet another step in his government’s long-running campaign against the individual rights of all people in Hungary. But beyond the immediate danger to LGBTQ+ rights, Orbán's threat represents something even larger: a direct assault on the freedoms of assembly and expression, cornerstones of any true democracy.
Orbán’s Playbook: Borrowing from Russia’s Anti-LGBTQ+ Crackdown
Freedom of assembly is not just about Pride marches or LGBTQ+ visibility. It is a core democratic right, allowing citizens to gather, protest, and make their voices heard. Banning Budapest Pride would set a dangerous precedent, paving the way for further suppression of political demonstrations, rallies, and dissenting voices in Europe too.
Orbán’s latest attack on LGBTQ+ rights follows a familiar strategy - one perfected by Vladimir Putin’s regime in Russia. By targeting Pride and attempting to suppress LGBTQ+ expression, the Hungarian government is mimicking tactics used by Moscow to silence dissent, tighten control over civil society, and stoke division.
In Russia, the so-called “gay propaganda law” was introduced in 2013, banning any positive representation of LGBTQ+ identities in public spaces. This led to increased violence against the community, widespread censorship, and a chilling effect on activism. Over time, Russia escalated its repression, extending these laws to effectively criminalize LGBTQ+ existence. Now, Orbán is importing these same narratives into Hungary—framing LGBTQ+ rights as a threat to “traditional values” and using them as a scapegoat to distract from government failures.
This is not just about Hungary. Across Europe, far-right leaders are increasingly adopting Russia’s playbook. In Italy, Giorgia Meloni has attacked LGBTQ+ families. In Poland, PiS leaders used homophobia for political gain. If these authoritarian tactics go unchallenged, they will spread further, eroding democratic freedoms continent-wide.
Europe cannot allow this dangerous trend to continue. Orbán’s threats against Budapest Pride must be met with firm resistance—not just from activists, but from all who believe in democracy and fundamental freedoms. The European Union and democratic governments must act decisively to protect LGBTQ+ rights, the right to protest, and the core principles that underpin European democracy.
Key measures to protect and ensure freedom of expression
Orbán’s threats cannot go unchallenged. Defending Budapest Pride means defending freedom of expression, assembly, and democracy itself. We call on liberal and democratic forces across Europe to take a stand against this attack on fundamental rights.
On behalf of the Liberal European movement, we are calling for key measures to ensure and protect freedom of expression and assembly, particularly for LGBTQ+ communities:
Legally safeguard the right to protest – The European Commission must strengthen legal protections against government attempts to ban or restrict peaceful demonstrations and enact a warning to the Budapest government focusing on the freedom of assembly and the right of peaceful protest.
Defend LGBTQ+ events and spaces – We commit to work with our national and local representatives to ensure that Pride events and other gatherings showing dissent are free from political interference and repression. Any measure will be taken to courts to balance any narrative.
Combat misinformation and hate speech – The European Commission must reinforce their call to governments against state-sponsored disinformation that fuels discrimination against marginalized communities. Moreover, we call on not falling in the trap to make this an attack on the LGBT+ community only, this is an attack to democracy and is a dangerous precedent for other rising political forces in Europe to copy when and if in power.
Empower civil society and activists – We call to all political forces to support organizations defending human rights, including them in their stakeholder meetings and inviting them for policy advice so they can operate without fear of government retaliation.
We urge all allies of democracy beyond the liberal family to equality to raise their voices, challenge these authoritarian tactics, and demand that European leaders uphold the principles they claim to defend.
Democracy does not erode overnight—it is chipped away piece by piece. If we fail to act now, we risk losing not just LGBTQ+ rights, but the very freedoms that define an open society.
