According to the organizers, a record number of up to 200,000 people participated. This time, the march was marked by a showdown between the Hungarian government of right-wing populist Viktor Orbán and the left-wing, green-liberal mayor of Budapest, Gergely Karácsony.

"We expect 180,000 to 200,000 people to participate," Pride President Viktória Radványi told the AFP news agency on Saturday. An exact estimate is difficult,"because never before have so many people attended Budapest Pride." Even around 6:00 p.m., after the event's scheduled end, there was still no end in sight to the processions.

Demo for LGBTQ rights and against the Orbán government

The majority of young people, but also representatives of the older generation, clearly demonstrated not only for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people, but also, in particular, against the government of Prime Minister Orbán. According to APA observations, the police stayed very much in the background on Saturday afternoon, and counter-demonstrators were hardly visible. On the Buda side of the Elisabeth Bridge, a few silent men stood with a banner calling in English for the defense of Europe."Huns love Mary" also read.

Meanwhile, Mayor Karácsony, who led a column in the first part of the demonstration with political colleagues and foreign guests, was cheered by the marchers. They carried a banner reading"Freedom and love cannot be forbidden" in Hungarian and English. Many other posters referred to the LGBTQ community, and there were repeated caricatures referring to the Hungarian head of government.

The police, controlled by Orbán's men, had banned the event because they believed it violated the recently amended Assembly Act. This now allows for the banning of rallies if they are directed against"child protection." Karácsony sees things differently and has declared Pride an official celebration of the capital Budapest. According to the capital's interpretation, such a celebration is not subject to the Assembly Act.

The police had changed the route at short notice during the march because the far-right party Mi Hazánk (Our Homeland) was holding a counter-demonstration on the Liberty Bridge, along the original route, the online media outlet"Partizán" reported in its livestream. Therefore, the Pride participants marched across the Elisabeth Bridge to the Buda side of the capital.

Facial recognition software could be used

It is expected that the police will report as many participants as possible to what they consider to be an illegal demonstration. Facial recognition software may be used in this process. Those reported face heavy fines, which, however, can be appealed in court.

Nevertheless, tens of thousands of participants were expected to attend the march. Around 70 MEPs, numerous diplomats, and the EU Commissioner for Gender Equality, Hadja Lahbib, have also announced their attendance.

Austrian Foreign Office informed about ban

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had previously called on the Hungarian authorities to lift the ban on Budapest Pride, citing the EU's fundamental values. On Saturday morning, the Austrian Foreign Ministry posted on its website a statement by the Hungarian government declaring that Budapest Pride, planned for the afternoon as an event organized by the Budapest City Council, was considered illegal. At the same time, the ministry did not explicitly advise against participation.

The Foreign Ministry commented on the ban on social media, saying:"Peaceful assembly and freedom of expression are fundamental rights and core European values. Governments must respect and protect them – for all citizens, regardless of whom they love. AT (Austria, ed.) stands with all who raise their voices for equality and dignity."

More than 70 MEPs from various countries have announced their participation. Several National Council and MEPs from the SPÖ, the Greens, and NEOS also plan to attend.

Delegations from Austria

Ahead of the march, which began at 3 p.m., political groups in the European Parliament held meetings of their groups on Saturday, expressing solidarity with the Hungarian people and calling for the defense of fundamental rights. There were also calls for a tougher EU stance against the Orbán government.

After Social Democrats met in a downtown Budapest hotel, the European Greens held a meeting in the building of the Central European University (CEU), which had been forced to relocate its majority to Vienna a few years ago due to a new university law passed by the Orbán government. The Greens in the CEU particularly welcomed their fellow party member Karácsony."Every nation must fight for its own freedom, but it means a great deal to me and the citizens of Budapest that you are all here today to show your support and solidarity," said the mayor.

"And that's why I'm here, to stand up for civil rights, and for equal civil rights throughout Europe," Green MEP Thomas Waitz told APA. While he himself is not a member of the LGBTQ community, this is about civil liberties such as the right of assembly.

Lindner with train breakdown

The NEOS party, whose delegation of around ten people was led by club chairman Yannick Shetty, was also present in the early afternoon."Today is about something fundamental. It's not just the rights of LGBTQ people that are under attack, but those of everyone," Shetty told APA. Regarding the reported absence of ÖVP politicians from the event, the liberal politician explained that he had not had any discussions with conservative colleagues on the matter. Participation in the Pride march in Budapest is not mandatory, he added, but depends on whether one considers it important to take to the streets for these rights or not.

SPÖ parliamentarian Mario Lindner arrived in Budapest in the early afternoon, significantly delayed but just in time for the march. After a damaged overhead line and a two-hour wait, Lindner and his colleagues made their way over an embankment onto a street and finally continued their journey by taxi."Today is about the fundamental values of the European Union, and it's therefore important to send a message," he explained his presence in Budapest.

Vienna's City Councillor for Culture, Veronica Kaup-Hasler (SPÖ), also left no doubt about her participation in the march."We're going to Pride tomorrow with many international guests because we also want to show that Pride can't be banned," Kaup-Hasler explained in an Instagram video message from Budapest on Friday evening. Although Orbán had issued a ban, she said, they're still going and looking forward to it.

The FPÖ, however, expressed understanding for the authorities' ban. MEP Petra Steger emphasized on the online service X:"It's about protecting children, and that's where personal freedom usually has its limits."

Meinl-Reisinger: Holding Pride "legal"

"We assume it's legal," said Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger (NEOS) regarding the holding of the Pride march on the sidelines of her working visit to Cyprus. The Foreign Ministry would support the event through the embassy in Hungary. The Hungarian government's arguments in the case were"difficult."

Meinl-Reisinger had already spoken with her Hungarian counterpart, Péter Szijjártó, about the issue of the Pride ban in April. A spokesperson for the Austrian Foreign Ministry explained that the discussion was about fundamental European values and issues that went beyond the specific event."Hungary cannot always enjoy the positive aspects of the EU while simultaneously refusing to support clear EU positions," he emphasized. With this approach, Hungary is also weakening the EU as a whole.