Hungary lawmakers have banned LGBT pride marches with Prime Minister Viktor Orban saying he "won't let woke ideology endanger our kids".
The parliament voted in favour of the policy just one day after the legislation was submitted on Monday last week thanks to a fast-track process driven by the right-wing Fidesz party.
In response, the ruling party has suffered significant backlash by human rights groups, demonstrators as well as opposition legislators.
During the voting period on Tuesday earlier this week, opposition politicians lit flares inside the parliament, as protestors blocked off a bridge in the centre of Budapest.
Earlier in the week, protestors blocked off a bridge in central Budapest
REUTERS
Opposition politicians lit flares in response to the ban
REUTERS
A group of the protestors congregated outside the national parliament, shouting: "Assembly is a fundamental right".
The European Union's equality commissioner Hadja Lahbib criticised the country's latest legislation, sharing on X: "Everyone should be able to be who they are, live & love freely.
"The right to gather peacefully is a fundamental right to be championed across the European Union. We stand with the LGBTQI community - in Hungary & in all Member States."
Top campaigners at Budapest Pride have also retaliated against the government's decision, writing: "This is not child protection, this is fascism.
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"A democratic leader would never think of restricting the fundamental rights of those who disagree with him."
The campaign group has vowed to plough on with their planned 30th Pride march in Budapest on June 28 - celebrating three decades of pride in Hungary.
The ban on pride marches is the latest law which targets the LGBT community.
In 2021, lawmakers gave the green light to legislation which banned the depiction of homosexuality to those below the age of 18.
Hungary's wider law on citizens' right to assembly was also amended earlier this week
REUTERS
Now, it is illegal "to hold an assembly in violation" of that law, while those who dare to infringe the law face fines of up to 500 euros (which is around £420) which could be imposed on protesters as well as the march's organisers.
As part of the new legislation, police officers have been permitted to deploy facial recognition technology to identify offenders.
Hungary's wider law on citizens' right to assembly was also amended earlier this week so that only events "respecting the right of children to proper physical, mental and moral development" are allowed to go ahead.
Just last year, Orban vowed to "occupy Brussels" in his commitment to protect Hungary's liberty as his Government continues to drive a flurry of conservative policies.
