Hungary supreme court rules police ban of pride march unlawful

The Hungarian Supreme Court ruled on Saturday that a police ban on the annual Budapest Pride march is unlawful since there was no legitimate goal behind the ban on the march.

The state, the defendants in this case, relied on a recent amendment to the Fundamental Law of Hungary to support their position to ban the Pride march. The defendants argued that the objective behind the ban was to protect children, echoing one of the provisions in the amendment that states all other interests and laws can be overruled in the name of protecting children. However, the court held that no evidence banning the Pride parade would protect children. Similar demonstrations had been allowed to take place in the past few weeks without police bans or interference, and it was not evident to the court how the Pride parade in particular endangered the safety of children. The case will not be referred to the European Court of Justice since the court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs.

The controversial amendment was passed in mid-April of this year, effectively banning LGBTQ+ public events. The amendment to the law also denies gender identity, stating that sex changes are not recognized in Hungary to protect the stability of the family and to create an environment that is protective of children’s development.

In late March, thousands of people protested in Budapest against the amendment, but after its proposal by the national-conservative political party, Fidesz, it made its way to being passed.

Hungary’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws have also been at issue with the EU. As of last week, 20 of the EU’s 27 member states issued a joint declaration accusing Hungary of violating the EU’s fundamental values through these laws and policies. Furthermore, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Fidesz have been the subject of debate in the EU for allegedly violating the rule of law and the EU’s fundamental values.

The post Hungary supreme court rules police ban of pride march unlawful appeared first on JURIST – News.