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Hungary’s Budapest Pride should be held in a “closed venue” this year rather than on a city centre avenue as in previous years, the prime minister, Viktor Orbán’s, chief of staff has said, citing child protection.
The plan, announced on Wednesday, appeared to be part of Orbán’s restrictions on the activities of the LGBTQ+ community as the nationalist leader prepares for elections in 2026 in which his rightwing Fidesz party faces an unprecedented challenge from a new opponent.
It was unclear whether the government intended to move the event inside and restrict access.
Community members said Pride was a family-friendly event and posed no threat to children. The organisers of the march did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Orbán, a longtime ally of Donald Trump, told supporters on Saturday that Pride organisers “should not even bother” this year as the event would be a “waste of money and time”, without going into any detail.
His chief of staff, Gergely Gulyás, then told the news site 24.hu on Wednesday that Pride should not be held the way it had been in the past. He said the goal was to “enforce the point of view of child protection” and that he did not see any such risk with “a Pride that is held in a closed space”.
For decades, Pride participants have processed down Andrássy Avenue, a spacious, tree-lined street in Budapest’s city centre.
Orbán, in power since 2010, promotes a Christian-conservative agenda and in 2021 banned the “promotion of homosexuality” among under-18s, despite strong criticism from rights groups and the EU.
His government has said the law – which appeals to Fidesz’s core voter base – is meant to protect children and does not target the LGBTQ+ community.
The law has caused anxiety among gay, bisexual and transgender Hungarians. The European Commission referred Hungary to the court of justice of the EU over it in mid-2022.
Gay marriage is not recognised in Hungary and Orbán’s government has redefined marriage as the union between one man and one woman in the constitution, and limited gay adoption.
