Tens of thousands defy Hungary’s ban on Pride in protest against Orbán
GuardianJUN 30
Tens of Thousands Defy Hungary's Ban on Pride
Above: People wave a rainbow EU flag as they take part in the Budapest Pride parade in downtown Budapest on June 28, 2025. Image copyright: Attila Kisbenedek/AFP via Getty Images
The Spin
Liberal narrative
Orbán's weaponization of "child protection" to crush LGBTQ+ rights represents authoritarian manipulation at its most cynical. Yet Budapest Pride emerges as a beacon of defiance — thousands refusing to be erased, transforming a celebration into an act of resistance against a government that fears love more than democracy itself.
Conservative narrative
Budapest's defiant Pride parade parades, not rights but narcissism — an ostentatious carnival of fetish gear, corporate flag waving, and ideological brow beating that flaunts sexual exhibitionism. It's a triumphalist show of cultural dominance masquerading as tolerance, trampling genuine freedoms under rainbow striped orthodoxy.