Budapest’s mayor faces charges for organizing Pride. The police have closed their investigation and are recommending a trial against him for violating the new assembly law.
Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony announced on Thursday that Hungarian police recommended charging him with organizing the 30th annual Pride march in support of the rights of people who identify with the LGBTQ+ community, which took place in June despite an official ban and attracted a record number of participants. TASR informs about it according to the report of the AFP agency.
The police banned the march based on an amendment to the assembly law passed this year. According to her, organizers and participants of events that promote or expose young people to a non-heterosexual lifestyle could be fined 200,000 forints (500 euros).
The mayor is facing charges
In response, Mayor Karácsony declared Pride a municipal event organized by City Hall and insisted that no participant could face severe penalties. He argued that city events do not require the consent of the police and thus have an exception from the aforementioned law.
Karácsony said in a social media post on Thursday that police had closed their investigation into him in connection with the Pride march in Budapest in June with a recommendation to press charges. Karácsony called the accusation itself “absurd” and said the municipality has the right “to organize any event on its public land.”
Protection of the freedom of the city
Back in August, when he was questioned about Pride, Karácsony said that he would be proud if he was indicted.
“I am proud to have taken all the political risks in the name of my city’s freedom, and I will proudly go to court to defend my own freedom and that of my city,” he added.
The police did not immediately comment on Karácsony’s case, AFP added.
