Hungary’s President Tamas Sulyok has signed a law limiting the annual Pride march for LGBTQ+ communities, despite criticism from human rights organizations that it restricts freedom of assembly.
The law, passed by parliament, was passed by Orban’s ruling party, the Fidesz party. The law prohibits Pride due to concerns about its potential harm to children and allows police to use face recognition cameras to identify attendees and impose fines.
Orban, who faces a struggling economy and opposition from a new opposition party, has long been critical of the LGBT community.
His policies often put him at odds with the rest of the European Union, with Hadja Lahbib, EU commissioner for equality, stating that “the right to gather peacefully is a fundamental right to be championed across the European Union”.
Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty, expressed concern about the new law and urged Sulyok to veto it.
