Political backlash against Hungary’s new law banning the release of Pride Parades continues to intensify, with more and more countries moving forward to condemning the attacks on human rights and laws as parliamentary rights.
Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, the so-called Venerax countries, have issued a statement of condemnation read out at an informal meeting of the Minister of Equality on Wednesday, several diplomats told Euroneus.
“We are concerned about the law passed in Hungary that undermines LGBTIQ+ rights and limits the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression,” they said.
“To respect and protect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all people, including LGBTIQ+, is inherent to being part of the European family. It is our responsibility and is shared by member states and European institutions.”
Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Lithuania, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden supported the Venerax statement.
France was “strongly expressed” in its own right, the diplomat pointed out, but Greece and Cyprus spoke critically about “recent developments” throughout the bloc, using a broader language that does not mention Hungary but is understood to be the same issue.
Pushbacks occur after the Hungarian Parliament passes constitutional amendments The cognitive culture of law The ruling party quickly pursued it in March. The law banned public events that are believed to be in violation of the Child Protection Act, which significantly limits portrayals of homosexuality and gender reallocation.
Events held by the LGBTQ+ community were banned under new laws, including the annual Pride Parade in Budapest, which attracted thousands of visitors.
This text allows authorities to use facial recognition tools to organize and identify people attending prohibited events, and earn fines (485 euros) for up to 200,000 Hungarians. If not paid, the fine will be collected as tax.
Furthermore, the constitutional amendment, approved Monday, declares that child rights take precedence over other fundamental rights (except for the rights of life), recognizes two genders, male and female, and effectively denies transgender and intersex identities. This amendment allows authorities to suspend the dual citizenship of some Hungarian citizens under certain circumstances.
Budapest vs Brussels
The drastic changes fit the Viktor Orbán agenda. The self-described “condemned” prime minister repeatedly attacked what was called “Woke Ideology,” which introduces laws aimed at the LGBTQ+ community, immigration and civil society.
“We protect the development of children, making sure that people are born either male or female and are standing firm against drugs and foreign interference,” he said after a vote in Congress. “In Hungary, common sense is important.”
Orban’s controversial initiative deepened the groove between Budapest and Brussels. Earlier this week, the Commission expressed support for the LGBTQ+ community and said it would take legal action “if necessary” after investigating the law.
“At this point, we cover several topics, so we need to analyze the changes (constitutional) and we need to consider them very carefully so that we can see them from a European legal perspective,” the spokesman said.
The spokesman did not provide a timeline to begin the proceedings.
In addition to the possibility of a violation of fundamental rights, the Pride ban has also been scrutinized for potential incompatibility with Artificial Intelligence Lawwhich sets strict restrictions on how law enforcement can deploy facial recognition.
If a lawsuit arises, it will be added to a series of open fronts.
The Child Protection Act, a 2021 law supporting the ban on pride, is already in the subject of legal cases before the European Court of Justice (ECJ), which was launched by the Commission. 15 Member States. (The list of supportive countries is roughly the same as those that supported Warsaw’s Venerax statement.)
Separately, the committee sued Hungary for its controversy. “State Sovereignty Law” And deducting duction A million euro fine every day It was imposed by the ECJ over a “unprecedented” failure to comply with EU migration and asylum rules.
Subtraction applies to Hungary’s allocated share of the EU budget.
At the same time, Orban’s adoption of a Russian-friendly position was hostile to both the Commission and the majority of member states. Last month, Orbán was the only leader to refuse to support the joint conclusion In Ukraine. This year alone, Hungary I threatened Two times to block the renewal of sanctions against Russia have been made sure diplomats and officials consider Plan B in the event of a veto in late July.
Furthermore, Hungary is the only country opposed to Ukraine’s membership bids, until it began public consultations on the issue. Promoting signs The polls feature the face of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
