Budapest Pride is banned with the complicity of the European Commission

Despite the Mayor of Budapest’s announcement on 16 June that this year’s Pride will take place as a “cultural city festival,” the ban on Budapest Pride has been confirmed by the police. And the European Commission continues to do nothing. Its refusal to act makes it not just an idle bystander — but a willing accomplice in Viktor Orbán’s assault on the fundamental right of LGBTIQ+ people. Once more, Forbidden Colours request the European Commission to do its job and start legal action against the ban.

A ‘City Festival’ banned

In an effort to bypass the March 2025 law, Budapest’s mayor had rebranded the Pride event as a “Cultural City Festival”, which does not require police authorization as a formal assembly. This workaround would have shielded the organisers — especially Budapest Pride — from legal penalties for holding a banned demonstration under March 2025 law.

But on 19 June, the police decided to reclassify the event as an unauthorized assembly, banning Budapest pride again and putting attendees at risk of fines or legal action.

Meanwhile, anti-rights groups received permits to march through the same streets as planned by the city on 28 June.

Three Months of Silence While Hungary Criminalizes Pride

On 18 March 2025, Hungary amended its Assembly Law to prohibit any public gathering that promotes the content restricted by the 2021“anti-LGBT propaganda” law — effectively banning all LGBTIQ+ demonstrations, including Pride marches.

This violates Article 12 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU), and multiple rulings of the European Court of Human Rights. Under Article17 TEU, the European Commission is legally bound to uphold EU law. That means launching infringement procedures and requesting interim measures to suspend illegal national laws.

Instead, it’s been three months — and the Commission says it’s still “assessing” the situation.

The law is less than two pages long. The Commission employs hundreds of lawyers. But somehow, it’s still “assessing.”

“You’d think that with a few hundred legal minds and a law short enough to read during a coffee break, we’d have seen action by now,” said Rémy Bonny, Executive Director of Forbidden Colours. “Unless, of course, they’ve decided not to look too hard.”

During a European Parliament debate on 18 June, Commissioner Michael McGrath once again confirmed that “the Commission is assessing the law.” At this point, the phrase sounds less like due diligence and more like a cynical performance of concern — a bureaucratic shrug while a Member State criminalizes equality.

“Let’s be clear: the Commission is not confused — it’s complicit,” added Bonny. “And LGBTIQ+ Hungarians are paying the price for its cowardice.”

“All of this could have been avoided if the Commission had done it’s job from day one”, added Vincent Reillon.

From Inaction to Pinkwashing: Lahbib’s PR Stunt

Adding insult to injury, on 19 June it was announced that Hadja Lahbib, the European Commissioner for Equality, will attend the Budapest Pride event.

This is the same Hadja Lahbib who, until now, offered nothing but a tweet in response to Hungary’s Pride ban. Since this tweet, she has remained silent as the police banned LGBTIQ+ marches. But when a workaround event was planned — one that appeared low-risk — she suddenly decided to appear.

“It’s easy to show up and pretend to care when the cameras are rolling,” said Vincent Reillon, Senior Advocacy Officer at Forbidden Colours. “But real leadership means fighting to make Pride legal, not just showing up for the Instagram post.”

“The Commission is waving a rainbow flag in one hand while holding Orbán’s coat with the other,” added Bonny. “This is not solidarity. It’s pinkwashing — and LGBTIQ+ people see through it.”

With the announced ban by the police, it is expected that Hadja Lahbib will shy away again from doing her job.

Awaiting Court Ruling on a Parallel LGBTIQ+ Protest

Separately, a coalition of LGBTIQ+ organisations (not including Budapest Pride) has pursued legal authorization for a protest on 28 June. Their original request for a protest on 1 June was banned by the police, who cited the March 2025 law. The organisers appealed, and the Hungarian Curia (Supreme Court) ruled in their favour — but the decision came just hours before the event, leaving no time to organize it.

They submitted a new request for 28 June, with the exact same language as the previously approved version. The police again rejected it, claiming it violated the same law. The organisers have appealed once more, and a final ruling from the Curia is expected on 20 June.

“If the Curia has any consistency left, it must approve this protest,” said Reillon. “But we’re working in a system where legal consistency is no longer a given.”

Forbidden Colours calls on the European Commission to stop pretending it needs more time. The law is known. The violations are clear. The tools are available.

We demand:

• An infringement procedure against Hungary for its March 2025 “Pride ban” law
• A request for interim measures from the Court of Justice of the EU
• Immediate action to uphold EU treaties and fundamental rights

Until the Commission acts, it is not only failing in its duty — it is actively enabling the criminalisation of Pride and the erosion of democracy in Hungary.