Anger in Hungary at Pride ban and restriction of freedoms

DW (English)

The Hungarian parliament in March passed an amendment that permits restrictions on the right of assembly and enables authorities to ban the Budapest Pride march. Hungarians have taken to the streets in protest.

Transcript

00:00I am Szabolcs. I am 40 years old. I am a two-handed worker.

00:08Unfortunately or not, I belong to a transsexual community.

00:13I am officially transgender.

00:20Szabolcs grew up in a small town in Hungary.

00:23Until the age of 20, he never even knew there was such a thing as homosexual or transgender people.

00:29Although his parents raised him a girl, Szabolcs says that even in preschool, he felt like a boy.

00:36His family fought against it, and his fellow students and acquaintances often hurt him because of it.

00:42From physical abuse to total humiliation, to shame and intolerance,

00:50to the use of a foot scrubber and the like.

00:55Anything you can imagine.

00:57Szabolcs often felt suicidal as a young adult.

01:01He says that life is not easy for members of the LGBTQ community in Hungary.

01:06The freedoms they enjoyed in the 1990s and early 2000s have gradually been eroded by the government of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

01:14For example, it has been prohibited to change legal gender in Hungary since 2020.

01:20Before that happened, Szabolcs changed his name and gender in official documents

01:26and began the gender confirmation process with top surgery.

01:29He always enjoyed taking part in Budapest's annual Pride parade.

01:34The first Pride was here.

01:41It will be my 21st now.

01:45Whether the march will actually go ahead this year is unclear.

01:49In mid-March, the Hungarian parliament passed an amendment to the law on public assemblies.

01:54Now, all events that highlight or promote homosexuality are banned in the name of protecting children.

02:01Participants could face a fine of up to 500 euros or 550 dollars.

02:06Szabolcs refuses to be intimidated.

02:09He says it's important for him to be there.

02:13This community will be put on the bench now.

02:19Who will be next?

02:21Many were appalled that parliament passed the amendment.

02:31Demonstrators in Budapest chanted, freedom of assembly is a basic right.

02:36There have been regular demonstrations since the law was changed,

02:40not only in support of Pride, but also against the curtailing of civil rights and liberties.

02:46The government doesn't want people to go to Pride.

02:50It wants to ban demonstrations in countries like Russia, Serbia, Turkey,

02:55if they take an opposition politician to the country.

03:00Those who take part can be sanctioned.

03:06Protesters blocked bridges and streets and demanded the reversal of the amendment.

03:13It's starting to get a bit dictatorial,

03:16because the government doesn't like something, they say it's banned.

03:20The amendment of this assembly law is a step beyond the limits, which is very scary for me.

03:28I feel that our government is in favor of our freedom, and I came to ban it.

03:35Szabolcs also took part in the demonstration, and he's thrilled that thousands of others did too.

03:40It's a good feeling that many people realized that it's not just about Pride,

03:47but it's about a basic human right, a basic right to freedom, which concerns everyone.

03:59We won't give up!

04:06These protesters are determined not to give up.

04:09They hope that there is still a way back to the days before the controversial amendment,

04:14and that Budapest Pride will be able to go ahead this year as scheduled.

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