The government of Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced on Thursday that the Budapest LGBTQ+ Pride parade "will not take place publicly" this year. This official statement was released after several days of speculation about the meaning of the Hungarian Prime Minister's remarks, who in a speech last weekend suggested to the event organizers "not to bother preparing their march for this year" because "it would be a waste of time and money". Regarding whether this implied a ban, Gergely Gulyás, the minister in charge of Orbán's office, confirmed on Thursday that it was indeed a restriction for the parade not to take place in public spaces, under the "child protection" law. El primer ministro de Hungría, Viktor Orbán. "There will be no Pride parade in the public form we have known in recent decades," Gulyás declared during the government's weekly press conference. "We believe the country should not allow the Pride parade to take place in the city center," he added. The official also mentioned that the ban on the LGBTQ+ march is aligned with a proposed constitutional amendment, which stipulates that "children's right to physical, mental, and moral development is irrevocable". At Pride events, it is very common to see practically naked adults alongside children, a situation that borders on pedophilic behavior. "This should be decided by the court or the police, if necessary," Gulyás replied to journalists' questions, adding: "I don't know if only a constitutional amendment is needed or if other laws should also be changed, but as we said, Pride in its current form will not take place". PUBLICIDAD When asked if this measure infringed on the essential right to freedom of expression, Gulyás assured that Hungary "would not mean a deprivation of rights", and "if there is a conflict between essential rights, it must be solved," he stated. When asked why he believes Pride marches affect children, the minister replied: "It's a matter of common sense". "A family parent usually doesn't approach the Pride parade, they simply avoid that area of the city," he concluded.
