By: Paul Goldberg, Senior Editor | JRL CHARTS – LGBT Politics Europe
Budapest, Hungary — (August 4, 2025) — The liberal mayor of Hungary’s capital, Gergely Karácsony, was questioned by police on Friday for allegedly organizing the massive LGBTQ+ Pride march that defied Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government ban.
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The June 28 event was hailed as the largest LGBTQ+ Pride celebration in Hungarian history, a defiant act against the Orbán administration’s controversial law prohibiting “promotion of homosexuality” in public gatherings — a measure widely condemned by human rights organizations and the EU.
Mayor Karácsony arrived at the National Bureau of Investigation to the cheers of over 200 supporters who gathered in solidarity. Flanked by police, he addressed the crowd before entering the building, declaring:
“A month ago at Budapest Pride, thousands of us stood together to say that neither freedom nor love can be banned in this city. If it can’t be banned, it can’t be punished.”
Despite the government’s attempts to suppress the event, the 2025 Pride march drew tens of thousands of participants, including activists, EU lawmakers, and global LGBTQ+ advocates — underscoring growing resistance to Hungary’s anti-LGBTQ+ policies under Orbán’s far-right leadership.
The investigation into Karácsony marks the latest escalation in Hungary’s ongoing culture war against the LGBTQ+ community, raising fresh concerns within the European Union over democratic backsliding and suppression of civil liberties.
Stay with JRL CHARTS LGBT Politics Europe for breaking updates on LGBTQ+ rights battles across the EU and Eastern Europe.
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