Hungary’s parliament on Tuesday, the 18th of March, passed a law banning LGBTQ+ community events, including a pride march, which led to the blocking of a bridge in central Budapest as protesters opposed changes quickly adopted by Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s ruling Fidesz party, according to Reuters and AP News.
The amendment, which is reminiscent of similar restrictions on sexual minorities in Russia, was adopted by 136 votes to 27.
Fidesz, which has an overwhelming majority in parliament, tabled the bill on Monday on the grounds that such gatherings could harm children, and it was approved on Tuesday in an accelerated procedure.
Hungary’s new law bans the organisation or attendance of events that violate the controversial “child protection” rules, which prohibit the exhibition or promotion of homosexuality to minors.
Attendees of such events face fines of up to 200 000 forints (546 US dollars), which are earmarked for “child protection”. The authorities may also use facial recognition at such events to identify offenders.
Hungary’s “child protection” law not only prohibits the “depiction or promotion” of homosexuality in content accessible to minors, including television, films, advertisements and literature, but also bans the mention of LGBTQ+ issues in school curricula and prohibits the public depiction of “the sex different from the sex of birth”.
A group of protesters gathered outside Parliament to oppose the changes, but then marched to the Margaret Bridge over the Danube River, where several thousand demonstrators shouted “Gathering is a fundamental right”, ignoring police instructions to leave the area.
Budapest now. pic.twitter.com/t4TTfl4Pim
— Nagy Attila Károly (@nattilak) March 18, 2025
Orbán, who is an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump, and who faces an unprecedented challenge from the new opposition party ahead of the 2026 elections, has criticised the LGBTQ+ community and in recent weeks also promised to restrict foreign funding for Hungary’s independent media and NGOs.
The legislation was criticised by the liberal mayor of Budapest, while lawmakers from the small opposition party Momentum lit smoke flares and scattered manipulated images of Orbán and Russian President Vladimir Putin kissing in the hall during the vote.
Hungary today became the first EU member to ban LGBT events, including the Pride Parade, as opposition members set off smoke bombs in protest at the parliament building. pic.twitter.com/TVmz9nAwOf
— UnrulyMissile (@UnrulyMissilegh) March 19, 2025
The organisers announced that they plan to hold this year’s Pride march despite the ban.
Parliament also adopted a resolution opposing joint European borrowing for defence.
Orbán announced last week that Hungary would participate in and contribute to a common European defence policy, but would not agree to joint borrowing.
The European Commission proposed this month to jointly borrow up to 150 billion euros to lend to EU governments under the armaments plan.
The proposal requires a majority vote in favour, or at least 15 of the EU’s 27 countries, representing 65% of the bloc’s population. Hungary alone cannot block the plan.