The Second Vice President of the Government, Yolanda Díaz, and the Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun, participated this Saturday in the LGBTI+ Pride demonstration in Budapest to support the rights and freedoms of the community throughout the European Union. They did so clutching a banner, practically in the front row, on a day marked by the official ban on the event by the ultra-conservative government of Viktor Orbán, which did not prevent thousands of people from taking to the streets.
The European Commission cannot look the other way. The future of Europe is at stake, Díaz warned, accusing the far right of violating fundamental rights in several countries. Budapest is today the capital of democracy, freedom, and diversity, she proclaimed. Urtasun, for his part, emphasized that defending rights in Budapest also means defending them in Madrid, Paris, or anywhere else in the EU.
The vice president also wanted to send a message to other governments, warning that public rights and freedoms are at stake not only in Hungary, but throughout the world, since the extreme right, she stated, is not only Viktor Orbán, it is Trump, it is Millei or Meloni.
The leader of Sumar has argued that the Spanish government will continue to defend people's rights and freedoms to prevent far-right forces from taking power in Spain, warning that acts of repression like those seen in Hungary are already occurring in Spain. The Popular Party and Vox governments are banning events like the ones we're experiencing here.
According to Pride organizers, more than 35,000 people gathered in City Hall Park at 2:00 p.m., breaking the attendance record for the 30th anniversary of the demonstration.
Following international support for the rally, which is considered a right, the Hungarian government, through the Ministry of Justice, has warned diplomats stationed in Budapest that it is a prohibited event and that participation will have consequences. All of Europe will therefore have its eyes on this country of 9.6 million inhabitants, which has drawn criticism from the European Commission with this ban.
