Budapest Mayor Faces Potential Indictment Over Defiant LGBTQ+ Pride March

On June 28, 2025, Budapest hosted its 30th annual Pride Parade, drawing a record number of international attendees, including more than 70 Members of the European Parliament, despite a government ban on such events. Mayor Gergely Karácsony, a member of the green political party Párbeszéd – A Zöldek Pártja , supported and helped organize the march as a municipal event, arguing it fell outside national assembly restrictions. The event was backed by over 30 foreign embassies, including those of Britain, France, and Germany, highlighting global solidarity with Hungary's LGBTQ+ community.

The march proceeded peacefully, underscoring resistance to restrictive policies amid Hungary's conservative governance under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Karácsony revealed on December 12, 2025, via a video on his Facebook page, that he had been sent a proposal for indictment by the Chief Prosecution Office of Budapest related to the June event. In the video, he questioned, "What is freedom for the people of Budapest? Is it a mayor’s imprisonment?" and affirmed, "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."

Hungary's Parliament passed a constitutional amendment on March 18, 2025, in a 140-21 vote along party lines, making it an offense to hold or attend events that violate the 2021 "child protection" law, which prohibits the "depiction or promotion" of homosexuality or gender transitions to minors. Violators face fines up to 200,000 Hungarian forints , and organizers like Karácsony could face up to one year in prison. The amendment also authorizes police use of facial recognition technology to identify participants.

A parallel amendment declared only "two sexes," aligning with rhetoric from Fidesz, Hungary's ruling conservative party, and echoing positions of international figures allied with Orbán. Prime Minister Orbán had warned in his February 2025 State of the Nation address that Pride organizers should not prepare for the event, calling it a waste of time. Despite police prohibition citing images of men kissing and drag performers, Karácsony maintained the municipal framing allowed the march. Organizers from Budapest Pride compared the ban to fascism and proceeded anyway.

Earlier, on August 1, 2025, Karácsony was interrogated as a suspect by the National Bureau of Investigation following the event. He refused to answer questions, instead arguing the parade's legal status, and later addressed supporters outside the police station, expressing sympathy for officers who appeared "embarrassed but polite." Minister of Justice Bence Tuzson had previously warned of imprisonment for defying the ban and notified embassies accordingly.

LGBTQ+ advocates in Hungary view the charges as an escalation in efforts to suppress visibility and rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other diverse identities. Tamás Dombos, project coordinator at Háttér Society—a Hungarian LGBTQ+ rights organization—described the ban as a voter distraction tactic, noting facial recognition could target broader protests. Karácsony echoed this at the 2025 Vienna Pride, stating, "if Pride can be banned in an EU member state, then no EU citizen is safe."

Internationally, Michael O'Flaherty, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, urged vetoing the law, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for allowing Budapest Pride. Orbán dismissed external interference. ILGA-Europe highlighted the indictment risk, noting Karácsony could face a year in prison for organizing and encouraging participation.

Karácsony frames his legal battle as defending Budapest's autonomy and freedoms for all residents, including its LGBTQ+ community. Supporters, including MP András Jámbor, rallied during his August interrogation with around 200 protesters. The case tests tensions between local governance and national policy in an EU context, with implications for transgender people, non-binary individuals, and all LGBTQ+ Hungarians seeking public expression.

Neither Karácsony nor the prosecution has specified exact charges yet. The developments continue to draw scrutiny on Hungary's human rights record.