Budapest Mayor Faces Police Questioning Over Banned Pride March
So here’s what’s been making headlines in Budapest—and it’s stirring up quite a storm. Mayor Gergely Karácsony, the liberal mayor of Hungary’s capital, has been formally questioned by police after being accused of helping organize a Pride march that had been officially banned by the government.
The march took place on June 28, and despite the risks, it became the largest Pride event Hungary has ever seen. Organizers claim around 300,000 people turned up. But here's the catch: Hungary's government, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, had passed a law earlier this year banning public events that are seen as promoting homosexuality, especially in contexts they claim might affect minors. That law has been widely condemned by human rights groups as repressive and discriminatory against the LGBTQ+ community.
Still, Karácsony pushed forward. He made it clear that the Budapest City Hall would treat the event as a local gathering—arguing that police had no legal ground to stop a municipal event. On the day of the march, he appeared defiantly wearing a rainbow T-shirt with the city’s coat of arms, stating powerfully, “Neither freedom nor love can be banned in Budapest.”
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Now, the situation has escalated. Hungary’s National Bureau of Investigation has opened a criminal probe—not against participants, who were told last month they wouldn’t face fines, but against the organizers. Karácsony has been named a suspect. If he’s charged and convicted, he could face up to a year in prison.
When he showed up for questioning, a crowd of about 200 people was there to support him. He didn’t answer investigators’ questions but instead handed in a written statement. After his session—which lasted just over an hour—he addressed the media and his supporters, reaffirming his stance: the accusation was baseless, and he would formally lodge a complaint.
It’s not just about one event—it’s turning into a wider statement about civil liberties in Hungary. Karácsony said the attempt to ban Pride had actually weakened the government’s grip. And he called next spring’s elections a “fateful” opportunity to bring Hungary back toward European democratic values.
He summed it up poignantly: “Either we are all free together, or none of us are.”
This whole situation is far from over. But it’s clear that in Budapest, the fight for equality and freedom of expression is being taken seriously—and publicly.
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