Budapest mayor could face charges for hosting LGBTQ+ Pride marchhttps://www.advocate.com/world/budapest-mayor-charges-lgbtq-march 🔗Ryan Adamczeski (12 Dec 2025)
The mayor of Hungary's capitol is facing charges after helping to organize a Pride march in protest of the government's ban on public LGBTQ+ events.
Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony, a member of the green political party Párbeszéd – A Zöldek Pártja (Dialogue – The Greens' Party), revealed Thursday that he has been sent a proposal for indictment over the June event. Karácsony asked in a video posted to his Facebook, "What is freedom for the people of Budapest? Is it a mayor's imprisonment?"
"I am proud that I took every political risk for my city's freedom, and I will proudly face the court to defend my own freedom and my city's freedom," Karácsony said.
Hungarian Parliament passed a constitutional amendment in April, in a vote of 140-21 along party lines, that makes it an offense to hold or attend events that violate Hungary's so-called "child protection" law. Enacted in 2021, the law prohibits the "depiction or promotion" of homosexuality to minors. The law also allows the government to use facial recognition technology to identify those who attend prohibited events, with those found in violations facing fines of up to 200,000 Hungarian forints ($546).
