The Budapest Pride March, scheduled for Saturday 28 June, is becoming the symbol of a major confrontation between the Hungarian government of Viktor Orbán and the fundamental values of the European Union. While the Hungarian police have banned the Pride march, civil society and many MEPs, including Manon Aubry and the La Gauche group, are announcing their presence to defend the rights of LGBTQIA+ people and remind Europe of its own demands.
Increasingly repressive constitutional laws
For several years now, Hungary has been stepping up its legislative attacks on the LGBTQIA+ community. In 2024 and 2025, the Hungarian parliament adopted new constitutional laws banning any “promotion” of homosexuality among minors, treating LGBTQIA+ visibility as a threat to children. These laws ban public events such as Budapest Pride 2025, and authorise the police to repress and punish organisers and participants, with fines and prison sentences.
The Hungarian Constitution has also been amended to define the family exclusively as the union of a man and a woman, effectively excluding same-sex couples from any legal recognition. These measures are part of Viktor Orbán’s strategy to marginalise sexual minorities and reinforce a nationalist and conservative discourse.
European values flouted
The European Union is based on common values enshrined in Article 2 of the EU Treaty: respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for minority rights. One of the criteria for EU membership is precisely the protection of minorities, a sine qua non condition for joining the European community.
By banning Pride in Budapest and passing discriminatory laws, Hungary is openly violating these principles. This situation brings the EU face to face with its responsibilities: can it tolerate a Member State calling into question the fundamental rights that form the bedrock of the Union?
Towards sanctions against Hungary?
In the face of this authoritarian drift, the question of sanctions arises acutely. The EU has several tools at its disposal, including the Article 7 procedure, which can go as far as suspending Hungary’s voting rights in the European Council. Financial sanctions, such as the suspension or reduction of European funds, are also possible and have already been used in other cases of violations of the rule of law.
For many elected representatives and activists, it is urgent that the European institutions react firmly. Failure to act could weaken the EU’s credibility as a guarantor of fundamental rights and encourage other governments to follow Hungary’s example.
Banning Budapest Pride 2025: a break with European values
In the face of the ban, resistance is being organised. The mayor of Budapest, Gergely Karácsony, maintained the march by declaring it a “municipal event”, thus allowing thousands of people, including MEPs and ambassadors, to march for equality and dignity.
Manon Aubry, co-president of the Left in the European Parliament, reaffirmed the determination of progressives to defend fundamental rights: ” We will be marching in Budapest to defend the freedom to love, dignity and equality for all. We will march to remind Viktor Orbán and his far-right allies, such as Jordan Bardella and Marine Le Pen, that Europe will never be a continent of hatred and regression“.
Europe at a crossroads
The Budapest Pride crisis is not just a local confrontation: it is a test of the European Union’s ability to defend its values and protect minorities. It is time for the European authorities to shoulder their responsibilities and firmly sanction any violation of fundamental rights. The future of Europe as an area of freedom, equality and respect for differences depends on it.
