Pride organisers defy fourth ban in Romanian city of Oradea

LGBTQ+ organisers in Oradea, western Romania, plan to proceed with a Pride march this Saturday despite city officials rejecting their application for the fourth year in a row, a situation activists say raises wider concerns about democracy and civil rights in the European Union.

With about 180,000 residents, Oradea is regarded by campaigners as the only major EU city whose authorities have continuously refused permission for Pride events over several consecutive years.

According to Iulian Dițiu, co-founder and president of Ark Oradea, organisers have been met each year with new procedural reasons for refusal. In 2024, they were informed that no municipal park was available for the proposed times. In 2025, organisers submitted 12 alternative march routes, all deemed unsuitable by the authorities. In the run-up to this year’s planned march, Ark Oradea and its partners filed more than 100 route options. City officials responded on Wednesday that every one of them conflicted with either other public events or ongoing infrastructure works.

“The message we receive is that our community is unwanted in public space,” Dițiu said, adding that the city hall has relied extensively on administrative arguments rather than explicitly addressing LGBTQ+ rights. The mayor, who represents a party describing itself as liberal, conservative and Christian democratic, did not reply to a request for comment.

International concern has increased. A joint statement signed by more than 152 organisations from 30 countries urged Oradea’s authorities to permit the march “in complete safety” and in line with EU standards on freedom of assembly. The signatories stated that, after four consecutive years of obstruction, explanations based on logistics or paperwork lose credibility. Persistent blocking of peaceful gatherings, they argued, affects fundamental principles that apply to all residents.

The appeal, recently submitted to the Oradea administration, draws parallels with Budapest, where allies of Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, have moved to curtail Pride events. The statement warns that restrictions on such marches in several European states have become an indicator of democratic regression and erosion of the rule of law.

Organisers plan to adopt the same strategy as last year, when an unauthorised march drew between 500 and 600 participants. Nine attendees later received fines totalling about €4,000 (£3,420), Dițiu said. This year, representatives of several foreign diplomatic missions have signalled their intention to join the march, alongside Romania’s ombudsman.

Dițiu described the moment as both motivating and troubling: “Institutions meant to protect every community attempt to turn ours into a scapegoat. At the same time, support is growing and more people recognise what is at stake.”

He framed the issue as central to democratic standards in Europe. “We are talking about a basic right of peaceful assembly. If local LGBT people in Oradea can be denied this right without consequences, the same approach can be applied to any community, anywhere.”

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