A dramatic cloudscape over Budapest cityscape with traditional typical buildings/Envato Market

By Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony, accused of helping organize a banned LGBTQ+ Pride rally, said Saturday he would be proud if his grandchildren someday read that he was prosecuted for speaking out against the “authoritarian system” of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

The mayor’s remarks followed his interrogation Friday by Hungary’s National Bureau of Investigation—a law enforcement agency akin to the U.S. FBI—as a criminal suspect.

He is facing charges related to organizing and promoting the June 28 Pride march, which Hungarian authorities had officially banned under a controversial new law.

Passed earlier this year by Orbán’s nationalist government, the law prohibits public events deemed to “promote homosexuality,” citing child protection as its justification. Yet critics argue the law is being used to silence opposition voices and limit freedoms of expression and assembly.

Despite threats of fines and police warnings, organizers say some 200,000 people joined the demonstration—including Mayor Karácsony and Amsterdam’s Mayor Femke Halsema—marking the largest anti-government protest since Orbán returned to power in 2010.

Standing before investigators in a rainbow-colored shirt bearing Budapest’s coat of arms, Mayor Karácsony addressed supporters outside the police building: “Freedom and love cannot be banned in Budapest.”

He refused to answer police questions and instead submitted a written statement. If convicted, he could face up to one year in prison. While authorities initially indicated that other participants, including Mayor Halsema, could also be prosecuted, they later said attendees would not face charges or fines.

POLITICALLY MOTIVATED?

Mayor Karácsony condemned the investigation as politically motivated and part of what he called a broader crackdown on Hungary’s LGBTQ+ community and democratic institutions.

“The ruling Fidesz party is under pressure,” he said, referencing the growing support for the new opposition TISZA Party ahead of Hungary’s 2026 parliamentary elections.

Prime Minister Orbán, a self-declared “illiberal” Christian and longtime ally of former U.S. President Donald J. Trump, has defended the ban and related legislation.

He says his government is protecting Hungary’s Christian identity and traditional family values in the face of what he views as increasing Western liberalism and secularism.

Orbán frequently invokes Christianity in policymaking and public discourse. His administration has financially supported churches and persecuted Christians, promoted large-family policies to counter population decline, and opposed mass immigration, especially from Muslim-majority nations.

Under Orbán’s leadership, Hungary’s constitution—the Fundamental Law—was rewritten to reflect these priorities. The amended constitution defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman, established by voluntary decision, and describes the family as the foundation of national survival.

It also declares: “The mother is a woman, the father a man.” Parents are instructed to raise children in a Christian conservative spirit.“Hungary defends the right of children to identify with their birth gender and ensures their upbringing based on our nation’s constitutional identity and values rooted in our Christian culture,” the constitution states.

INTERNATIONAL CONCERNS

However, human rights groups, EU institutions, and some Christian leaders argue that Orbán’s government has selectively used Christian language to justify political control and the restriction of fundamentalrights, including for LGBTQ+ individuals.

The investigation of Mayor Karácsony has drawn concern from several European embassies and rights advocates.

They fear it further undermines the democratic values the government claims to uphold.

In 2020, Hungary abolished legal recognition of transgender people, and in 2021 ,it passed legislation banning portrayals of homosexuality or gender transition to minors in media and education.

These moves led to ongoing disputes with the European Union over human rights and rule-of-law standards.

Despite mounting legal threats, Mayor Karácsony vowed to continue speaking out. “If freedom and love cannot be banned,” he told reporters, “they also cannot be punished.”

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