Hungarian lawmakers on Tuesday approved a law prohibiting Pride events and authorizing authorities to utilize facial recognition software to identify participants, continuing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s right-wing populist party’s crackdown on the country’s LGBTQ+ community.
The legislation passed with a vote of 136-27. Backed by Orbán’s Fidesz party and their minority coalition partner, the Christian Democrats, the law was rushed through parliament using an accelerated procedure after being introduced just a day prior.
The law modifies Hungary’s assembly regulations, making it illegal to organize or participate in events that contravene Hungary’s controversial “child protection” legislation, which forbids the “depiction or promotion” of homosexuality to minors under 18.
Individuals attending a banned event could face fines of up to 200,000 Hungarian forints ($546), which, according to the law’s text, will be allocated to “child protection.” Authorities will have the power to employ facial recognition technology to identify those present at prohibited gatherings.
As the vote took place in Hungary’s parliament in Budapest, opposition lawmakers staged a protest by setting off smoke bombs, filling the chamber with dense, colorful plumes of smoke.
Members of the centrist Momentum Movement party ignited flares in opposition to the bill, which seeks to ban the annual Pride march, during the parliamentary session on March 18, 2025.
In a statement released Monday following the bill’s introduction, Budapest Pride organizers condemned the law, stating that its purpose was to “scapegoat” the LGBTQ+ community and suppress voices critical of Orbán’s administration.
Hungary’s Parliament Passes Law Banning Pride Events“This is not child protection, this is fascism,” organizers declared. “The government is trying to restrict peaceful protests with a critical voice by targeting a minority. Therefore, as a movement, we will fight for the freedom of all Hungarians to demonstrate!”
This latest legislation represents another step in Orbán’s campaign against LGBTQ+ individuals. His government has previously enacted laws that rights organizations and European political leaders have criticized as oppressive toward sexual minorities.
In 2022, the European Union’s executive commission initiated legal action against Hungary’s 2021 child protection law in the EU’s highest court. The European Commission contended that the legislation “discriminates against people on the basis of their sexual orientation and gender identity.”
Hungary’s government presents itself as a defender of traditional family values and a protector of Christian civilization against what it describes as “gender madness,” maintaining that its policies are intended to shield children from “sexual propaganda.”
Hungary’s “child protection” law extends beyond banning the “depiction or promotion” of homosexuality in content accessible to minors, including television, films, advertisements, and literature.
It also prohibits discussions of LGBTQ+ topics in school education programs and restricts public portrayals of “gender deviating from sex at birth.”
In a February speech, Orbán suggested that his administration would move to prohibit the Budapest Pride event, which draws thousands and serves as a celebration of LGBTQ+ history while advocating for equal rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals.
Another Pride event has taken place in recent years in the southern Hungarian city of Pécs. Budapest Pride, celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, is scheduled to be held on June 28.