New Hungarian law could squash ‘Pride’ events, EU nations ‘highly alarmed’

European Union nations drew a red line at the six-colored rainbow as one member state’s child protection laws were deemed contrary to “human dignity, freedom, equality, and respect.”

For years, the approach of summer has brought with it the resurgence of festivals and parades where kink and debauchery took over public spaces under the banners of love and “Pride.” Now, as Hungary had passed laws deemed by many as outright “anti-LGBTIQ+ legislation” by prohibiting content that focused on the “gratuitous depiction of sexuality…”

An expansion on the 2021 law that took “more severe action against pedophile offenders” found 17 EU nations up in arms, calling on the European Commission “to expeditiously make full use of the rule of law toolbox at its disposal in case these measures are not revised accordingly.”

In a publicly shared letter, Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden expressed, “We are highly alarmed by these developments, which run contrary to the fundamental values of human dignity, freedom, equality and respect for human rights, as laid down in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union.”

“Under the pretext of child protection, these legislative amendments allow fines to be imposed on participants and organizers of events, such as the annual Pride celebrations,” read the letter. “The amendments also allow for facial recognition software to be used at such events, and for banning such events. We are concerned by the implications of these measures on freedom of expression, the right to peaceful assembly, and the right to privacy.”

Joint statement by #Belgium with , on the infringement of the fundamental rights of LGBTIQ+ persons in #Hungary. pic.twitter.com/Wo8ljL5EiN

— Belgium in the EU (@BelgiuminEU) May 27, 2025

To be clear, amendments advanced in March and April that included an assertion that family ties are based on marriage, considered the voluntary union of one man and one woman, also stated, “Every child shall have the right to the protection and care necessary for his or her proper physical, mental and moral development. This right shall prevail over any other fundamental right other than the right to life. Hungary shall protect the right of children to a self-identity corresponding to their sex at birth, and shall ensure an upbringing for them that is in accordance with the values based on the constitutional identity and Christian culture of our country.”

This followed the 2021 legislative action that had detailed, “Programmes shall not qualify as public service announcements and community facility advertisements if they are capable of exerting negative influence on the appropriate physical, mental or moral development of minors, in particular as a result of having as their central element gratuitous depiction of sexuality, pornography, propagation or portrayal of divergence from self-identity corresponding to sex at birth, sex change or homosexuality.”

As Hungary’s EU affairs minister János Bóka had told reporters, “There is no such thing in Hungary as a Pride ban. I hope that after these discussions, my colleagues around the table will walk out with a more nuanced view on the Hungarian legislation.”

Despite the details of the legislation, Jessica Rosencrantz, Sweden’s counterpart to Bóka, had told the press, “I think it’s time that we consider the next steps, because this is getting pointless in continuing these hearings.”

The letter came ahead of a Tuesday gathering in Brussels as the Article 7 process could potentially see Hungary’s voting rights suspended as Rosencrantz insisted the EU “not just a geographical union but a union based on values, and in that sense we have to act strongly against countries not living up to our common principles.”

Staff Writer

Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn’t researching current events and their impacts, you’ll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.

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