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child protection legislation on Tuesday. Among its provisions, the law prohibits LGBT ‘Pride’ marches.
The amendment to the Assembly Act, passed by a decisive 136-27 vote with Fidesz and their coalition partner the Christian Democrats in favor, makes it illegal to hold gatherings that violate the Child Protection Act’s ban on depicting or promoting homosexuality, gender reassignment, or deviation from birth sex identity to minors under 18.
“Today, we voted to ban gatherings that violate child protection laws. In Hungary, a child’s right to healthy physical, mental, intellectual, and moral development comes first. We won’t let woke ideology endanger our kids,” Prime Minister Orbán wrote on X after the vote.
BREAKING: Hungary bans LGBTQ+ Pride events in public since chiIdren might be present. 136 to 27 vote in parliament.
Opponents set off smoke bombs: pic.twitter.com/isTl2a2hiP
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) March 18, 2025
Individuals attending prohibited events face fines between €16 and €502, which cannot be substituted with community service or detention. The fines will fund child protection initiatives. The law also authorizes security forces to use facial recognition to identify participants in illegal events like unauthorized Pride marches.
As expected, the law sparked outrage among pro-globalist liberals in Hungary, Europe, and the mainstream press. Some left-liberal Hungarian lawmakers protested by setting off smoke bombs in parliament.
“Protecting children is a priority in all circumstances. Anyone who has children knows what the problem is with the Pride parade and its aftermath on social media and other public forums. I have three children and I would not want them to see such content,” said Máté Kocsis, leader of the Fidesz parliamentary group. “Perhaps the organizers are also aware that what they do year after year irritates a large part of society. Abnormality provokes normality.”
❗️Hungary Bans LGBT Pride Marches from Public Spaces:
"We believe that the country should no longer tolerate Pride marching in the protection of our children"
-PM Orbán Viktor 🇭🇺 pic.twitter.com/QL0T1nF0rR— Based Hungary 🇭🇺 (@HungaryBased) March 3, 2025
Orbán defended the legislation as vital to shield children from liberal ideology indoctrination and perceived Western Pride march decadence. His chief of staff suggested indoor Pride events to protect children’s innocence.
Critics accuse Orbán’s conservative government of repressing LGBT rights to secure electoral support ahead of next year’s elections. Budapest Pride called the law “fascism” but vowed to proceed with their scheduled June 28th march despite potential fines.
“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!” said spokesperson Mate Hegedus. “People are still willing to come to Budapest Pride and show support to the community even if they have to pay fines.”
Budapest’s left-liberal mayor Gergely Karácsony stated: “Whatever anyone says, there will be Pride in Budapest this June. It may even be bigger than ever before.”
