Rudolf Karancsi\/AP<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Earlier this year<\/span>, Hungary\u2019s parliament passed legislation<\/a> banning Pride events and allowing the use of facial recognition technology to identify attendees. The ban is supported by Prime Minister Viktor Orb\u00e1n, a conservative nationalist and Trump ally<\/a> whose regime has been widely described as anti-democratic. Orb\u00e1n has for years decried \u201cgender insanity\u201d and \u201cwoke globalists,\u201d the New York Times<\/em><\/a> reports, \u201cdistracting attention from Hungary\u2019s faltering economy and revving up his right-wing rural base.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNone of us are free until everyone is free.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n But in spite of the ban, tens of thousands of people marched through Budapest on Saturday during the city\u2019s 30th annual Pride march, according to several news outlets. At least 70 European Parliament members also attended, CNN reported<\/a>. The event had the support of Budapest\u2019s liberal mayor, Gergely Kar\u00e1csony. \u201cThey have trapped themselves by trying to ban something that cannot be banned,\u201d Kar\u00e1csony said, according to the Times<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n On Friday, Orb\u00e1n suggested that law enforcement would not actively intervene in the demonstration, calling Hungary a \u201ccivilized country,\u201d but held the door open to later legal action.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are adults, and I recommend that everyone should decide what they want, keep to the rules\u2026 and if they don\u2019t, then they should face the clear legal consequences,\u201d Orb\u00e1n told state radio, according to Reuters<\/a>.<\/p>\n Despite the ban and Orb\u00e1n\u2019s remarks on Friday, the event attracted large crowds, who began their march from the steps of Budapest\u2019s city hall<\/a>. Livestreams of the event showed participants of all ages flooding the streets with rainbow flags and supportive signs. \u201cSolidarity is our pride,\u201d one placard<\/a> read. \u201cNone of us are free until everyone is free,\u201d another sign said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe right to assembly is a basic human right, and I don\u2019t think it should be banned. Just because someone does not like the reason why you go to the street, or they do not agree with it, you still have the right to do so,\u201d one attendee, Krisztina Aranyi, told the Guardian<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n
![\"People](\"https:\/\/www.motherjones.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/062826BudapestBridgePride.jpg\")