Hungary’s Parliament fills with rainbow smoke after it passes law banning Pride

In Budapest, Hungary’s capital, protests broke out following the passage of a law by Hungary’s parliament that bans Pride events and permits law enforcement to use facial recognition technology to track event attendees.

According to ‘LGBTQ Nation’, opposition lawmakers ignited rainbow smoke bombs in Parliament, while several thousand people protested outside. The demonstrators later blocked the Margaret Bridge over the Danube River as police ordered them to disperse. Evgeny Belyakov, a Russian citizen residing in Hungary, expressed concern to the AP saying, “It’s quite terrifying to be honest, because we had the same in Russia. It was building up step by step, and I feel like this is what is going on here,” drawing parallels to Russia's actions against LGBTQ+ rights. He added, “I just only hope that there will be more resistance like this in Hungary, because in Russia we didn’t resist on time and now it’s too late.”

The law was approved in parliament with a 136-27 vote, backed by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party and the Christian Democrats. It prohibits attending or hosting events that may “depict or promote” homosexuality if minors might be present. Violators face a fine of approximately $550 (approximately £460), and the legislation permits the use of facial recognition technology to identify attendees. The measure was introduced on Monday and swiftly passed on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, opposition parliament members set off rainbow-coloured smoke bombs in the chamber, preceding the protests that erupted later. They also distributed altered images of Orbán kissing Russian President Vladimir Putin. Despite the smoke, parliamentary business continued as usual.

This legislation is an expansion of Hungary’s 2021 “child protection” law, which bans the depiction of homosexuality to minors under 18 years old. It restricts the mention of LGBTQ+ individuals in schools and the media representation of “gender deviating from sex at birth.”

The European Union, of which Hungary is a part, has sued Hungary, arguing that the law discriminates based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Additionally, bookstores in Hungary have been fined for not wrapping books discussing LGBTQ+ themes.

Budapest Pride organisers criticised the law, stating in a release, “This is not child protection, this is fascism.”