Hungarian government plans constitutional change to end Pride march

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungary will amend the constitution soon to emphasise child protection, the government said on Thursday, a move paving the way for a ban on the annual Pride march by LGBTQ+ communities which it is targeting ahead of elections next year.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban has criticised LGBTQ+ people and pledged to crack down on foreign funding of independent media and NGOs in Hungary in recent weeks, after U.S. ally President Donald Trump paused USAID funding.

Orban, a nationalist who faces an unprecedented challenge from an opposition party ahead of elections due in 2026, told supporters on Saturday that Pride organisers "should not even bother" this year as the event would be a "waste of money and time."

The organisers of the festival, who say it is family-friendly and poses no threat to children, responded that freedom of assembly was a constitutional right.

Orban's chief of staff Gergely Gulyas said on Thursday the constitution would be amended to say that a child's right to physical, mental, and moral development "takes priority over all other rights, except the right to life".

When asked if this effectively meant a ban on the Pride parade, which is due to take place on June 28, Gulyas said:

"The collision between the right to assembly and children's right to healthy development needs to be clarified." He also said that "those with sharp ears" could hear that the constitutional amendment was related to Pride.

"The country does not have to tolerate Pride marching through downtown Budapest," Gulyas told the briefing.

On Wednesday, he had said Pride should be held in a "closed venue" this year. Transportation and Construction Minister Janos Lazar said on Thursday that Pride must be banned, saying on Facebook that it was "time to push back against the gay lobby".

For decades, Pride participants have processed down Andrassy Avenue, a spacious, tree-lined street in Budapest's city centre in a popular event.

"Events like the Pride March are a sign of whether the authorities want to silence those who think differently," the organisers said in a statement on February 24.

Asked about the planned constitutional change, the organizers told Reuters the government was using Pride as a political tool.

"We will not be intimidated - the preparations for the march are in full swing, and with the power of the community, we will make history once again this year," they said in an email.

Orban, in power since 2010, promotes a Christian-conservative agenda and in 2021 banned what it calls the "promotion of homosexuality" among under-18s despite strong criticism from rights groups and the European Union.

(Reporting by Anita Komuves and Krisztina Than; editing by Philippa Fletcher)