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Budapest Mayor Questioned as Suspect in Banned Pride Probe

Rejecting the probe as unwarranted, Karácsony plans a formal complaint ahead of national elections.

Budapest Pride was Hungary's largest ever parade – in response to PM Viktor Orbán's ban (ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP via Getty Image)
FILE - Budapest mayor Gergely Karacsony, center, addresses participants in the Pride march in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, June 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Rudolf Karancsi, File)
A few hundred demonstrators staged a protest outside the headquarters of Hungary's top investigative authority
Pride organisers said more than 200,000 people took part in the June 28 parade

Overview

  • The National Bureau of Investigation formally interrogated Karácsony under a probe targeting organizers of the June 28 parade that defied a government ban.
  • Under the March law, hosting or facilitating Pride events can carry fines and up to one year in prison.
  • Budapest city hall rebranded the parade as a municipal celebration to circumvent the ban, drawing an estimated 300,000 participants.
  • Authorities announced they will not prosecute individual attendees and have focused legal actions solely on event organizers.
  • The 2025 legislation also authorizes facial recognition to identify participants, a measure criticized by rights groups.