Catalans defy Hungarian PM in massive Pride march in Budapest

Catalans will be among the European LGBTIQ+ community standing up to Viktor Orbán's far-right government's ban on the Pride march with a demonstration expected to be massive this Saturday in Budapest.

Defying a new law in Hungary that denies the group the right to protest, the ecologist mayor of Budapest, Gergely Karácsony, is risking jail to host the Pride march, which will start at 2 pm.

Mayors, MPs, and human rights defenders from all over Europe, including several Catalan and Spanish politicians, will attend to show their support.

The presence of European leaders will "give us security too," according to Dorottya Rédai, director of the Labrizs Lesbian Association, in statements to the Catalan News Agency (ACN).

The mayor of Budapest has warned that the protest route may see last-minute changes to avoid clashes with far-right counter-demonstrations, which have been given police authorization, unlike the Pride parade.

Rédai admits that the situation is still “very confusing” legally due to appeals and discrepancies between the Budapest City Council and the Orbán government. 

“I don’t think the police will use water cannons or tear gas because it will be a peaceful protest,” the Labrizs  director said, although she is convinced that the far-right demonstrators will try to “provoke them.”

Support from Catalonia

A delegation of Catalan MPs will be taking part in the march, including its first vice-president Raquel Sans, as well as MPs Sara Jaurrieta (PSC), Ennatu Domingo (Junts), Tània Verge (ERC), and Susanna Segovia (Comuns).

Along with the mayors of Paris, Athens, and Amsterdam, the mayor of Barcelona, ​​Jaume Collboni, will be in attendance.

Collboni will reaffirm “Barcelona’s commitment to defending human rights, individual freedoms, and the democratic values ​​inherent in Europe,” the city council said in a statement.

Spanish vice president Yolanda Díaz and Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun, will also be there, accompanied by several leaders of Sumar and Comuns, such as former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau and MEP Jaume Asens.

The European Parliament is sending about 70 MEPs, including the Socialist Iratxe García and the Podemos leader Irene Montero.