Full Breakdown
Hungarian Prosecutors Drop Charges Against Budapest Mayor Over 2025 Pride March
6/4/2026, 11:45:03 PM
Prosecutors Drop Charges Against Mayor Gergely Karacsony
On 4 June 2026 Hungarian prosecutors announced the withdrawal of the criminal case filed in January against Budapest mayor Gergely Karacsony for organising the 2025 Pride march. The decision follows the European Court of Justice’s April ruling that Hungary’s 2021 child-protection law, used to ban the event, violates EU law.
Legal Context & Key Actors
Hungary’s 2021 law banned the ‘promotion’ of homosexuality or gender change to minors as child protection. It enabled police to forbid the Pride march, which became an anti-government protest after Viktor Orbán’s 16-year rule ended in the April 2024 election won by the Tisza party’s Prime Minister Péter Magyar. Mayor Gergely Karacsony tried to bypass the ban by registering the march as a municipal event; activist Geza Buzas-Habel faces a fine for a Pride event. The Court of Justice of the European Union ruled the law invalid.
Participation Numbers & Discrepancies
Organisers claim more than 200,000 people attended the 2025 Budapest Pride march, describing it as a “mass anti-government demonstration.” Police reports refer to “tens of thousands” marching peacefully. The differing figures illustrate a gap between official estimates and activist counts.
Official Statements
Prosecutors explained that the CJEU ruling required them to dismiss the case against the mayor, stating that the alleged violation of the law on freedom of assembly no longer constituted a criminal offense. The CJEU had found the 2021 legislation to unlawfully restrict access to content portraying homosexuality and gender variance, breaching fundamental rights and EU values. Prime Minister Péter Magyar reaffirmed his government’s commitment to equality and freedom of assembly but gave no explicit endorsement of the Pride event. Karacsony offered no comment.
Criticism & Impact
Human-rights groups note activist Geza Buzas-Habel faces a fine, showing the 2021 law remains enforced despite the CJEU ruling. They warn the decision could provoke backlash, straining Hungary’s EU ties while underscoring the EU’s capacity to protect assembly rights and minority protections.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Neither freedom nor love can be banned in Budapest.” — Gergely Karacsony, Mayor of Budapest
- “Considering the ruling by the European Court ... the prosecutors dropped charges against the Budapest mayor for violating the law on freedom of assembly,” — Hungarian prosecutors (statement)
- “Given that… the assembly authority expressly prohibited the holding of the gathering on the basis of a provision that was later found to violate EU law, the facts described in the prosecutor’s indictment no longer constitute a criminal offence,” — Hungarian prosecutors (statement)
- “The European court found that the legislation unlawfully restricted access to content portraying homosexuality and gender variance and breached fundamental rights and EU values.” — Court of Justice of the European Union
Next Steps
Police indicated the 2025 Pride march will be allowed to proceed on 27 June without legal impediment. EU monitors will continue reviewing Hungary’s compliance with the CJEU ruling, and activists plan further demonstrations to test the durability of the new legal environment.
