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# ‘Proud Defendant’: Budapest Mayor, Gergely Karácsony, charged over Pride support
- URL: https://www.scenemag.co.uk/proud-defendant-budapest-mayor-gergely-karacsony-charged-over-pride-support/
- Published: 2026-01-29T11:08:52.000Z
- Updated: 2026-01-29T11:08:52.000Z
- Author: Graham Robson
- Tags: Pride

Budapest’s mayor, **Gergely Karácsony**, is facing criminal prosecution after defying a government ban to support and help organise last year’s Pride march in the Hungarian capital. Prosecutors have filed charges alleging that he organised and led a public gathering despite a police prohibition, and are seeking to impose a fine through summary judgement without a trial.

The case stems from Hungary’s increasingly restrictive legislation on LGBTQ+ expression and public assembly. Amendments to the country’s **“Child Protection Act”** and further constitutional changes passed in 2025 have effectively banned Pride events, limiting any public depiction or promotion of homosexuality and defining gender strictly as biological sex at birth. 

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/2026/01/Gergely_Kar--csony-1.jpg)

Gergely Karácsony

Despite these constraints, **Budapest Pride** in June 2025 drew hundreds of thousands of participants, making it one of the largest demonstrations in recent years. Karácsony declared the event a municipal gathering in an attempt to circumvent the police ban and personally led the march, actions that prosecutors now say constitute a breach of assembly laws. 

Karácsony has responded defiantly, calling himself a “proud defendant” and insisting that standing up for freedom and human rights should never be treated as a crime. He argues that Hungary’s crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights reflects a wider erosion of democratic norms under Prime Minister **Viktor Orbán**’s government, which has been criticised for centralising power and curtailing civil liberties. 

Human rights organisations, European politicians and LGBTQ+ advocacy groups have condemned the charges, warning that prosecuting an elected mayor for facilitating a peaceful assembly sets a dangerous precedent. They argue that such actions could intimidate both public officials and ordinary citizens from exercising fundamental rights. 

Karácsony could face a significant fine and, under related laws, organisers of banned assemblies may even risk up to a year in prison, though prosecutors in this case are currently seeking only financial penalties.

The case now moves to the **Pest Central District Court**, which may issue a decision without holding a full trial. As Hungary’s political climate continues to polarise, the proceedings are likely to draw intense scrutiny both domestically and across the European Union