The turnout shattered the previous record of 35,000, coming just days after Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s nationalist government amended laws to prohibit the annual celebration, citing “child protection” as justification. However, the opposition-led Budapest city hall stepped in to co-host the march, ensuring it could proceed.
Orban had warned of “legal consequences” for attendees, with organisers facing up to a year in prison and participants risking fines of 500 euros (RM2,474). Authorities also deployed facial-recognition cameras along the parade route to identify marchers.
Marchers faced delays under scorching heat as police struggled to manage traffic, but spirits remained high. “Freedom and love can’t be banned,“ read a prominent banner near city hall.
Far-right groups staged counter-protests, including one featuring a wooden cross with anti-LGBTQ slogans. Opposition leader Peter Magyar, however, called the ban a “huge own goal,“ while Budapest mayor Gergely Karacsony thanked Orban for unintentionally promoting tolerance.
Not all locals supported the event. Katalin, who declined to give her surname, called the parade “disgusting” and said it had become a “fad.”
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