Overview

• Budapest’s mayor, Gergely Karácsony, circumvented the national ban by classifying Pride as a municipal event.
• About 35,000 people are taking part, including dozens of European Parliament members and a large Italian delegation.
• Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has warned of fines up to €500 and up to one year in prison for organizers or participants.
• Police have installed facial-recognition cameras along the planned route and organizers are keeping the assembly point secret until an hour before departure to avoid intervention.
• Some far-right groups have been permitted counter-demonstrations along the same path, and the Italian embassy has raised its alert level to prevent possible violence or sanctions against its citizens.