Budapest mayor will “stand proudly” for “freedom” as he faces charges...

[Jessica_Rose ✅]

Budapest mayor will "stand proudly" for "freedom" as he faces charges for city's Pride march

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2025/12/budapest-mayor-will-stand-proudly-for-freedom-as-he-faces-charges-for-citys-pride-march/ 🔗

Greg Owen (29 Dec 2025)

The mayor of Budapest, Gergely Karácsony, says he's facing charges for defying authoritarian leader Viktor Orbán's ban on Pride marches in Hungary.

"The police concluded their investigation against me in connection with the Budapest Pride march in June with a recommendation to press charges," he said in a video posted to Facebook. "They accuse me of violating the [new law on] freedom of assembly, which is completely absurd."

Karácsony approved the Pride event and took to the streets with hundreds of thousands of marchers in defiance of the ban.

In April, Hungary's Parliament passed the Assembly Act, a constitutional amendment that codifies earlier law banning events that involve a "depiction or promotion" of homosexuality, together with government recognition of only two sexes, male and female.

Like his authoritarian ally Vladimir Putin in Russia, Orbán has engaged in a politically motivated campaign against the "degenerate West" and instituted "gay propaganda" laws prohibiting the "depiction or promotion" of homosexuality to minors.

After Karácsony rejected the government's edict and allowed the rally to proceed, several EU politicians joined the event to show solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community, as well as their displeasure with Orbán for flouting EU human rights protections.

The mayor said he was questioned by state police in August.