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BUDAPEST (Reuters) -Hungary's parliament passed a law on Tuesday to ban the Pride march by LGBTQ+ communities, triggering the blockade of a bridge in central Budapest in protest against the changes fast-tracked by Prime Minister Viktor Orban's ruling Fidesz party.
Fidesz, which holds a commanding parliamentary majority, submitted a bill on Monday that would ban the annual Pride march on the grounds that it could prove harmful to children, and approved the legislation in an expedited process on Tuesday.
A group of protesters gathered outside parliament to oppose the changes before marching on to Margaret Bridge, where several thousand demonstrators chanted "Assembly is a fundamental right" while facing down a police cordon.
Orban, who faces an unprecedented challenge from a new opposition party ahead of a 2026 election, has criticised the LGBTQ+ community and also pledged in recent weeks to crack down on foreign funding of independent media and NGOs in Hungary.
The legislation was criticised by Budapest's liberal mayor while lawmakers from the small opposition party Momentum lit up smoke flares and scattered in the assembly hall manipulated photos depicting Orban and Russian President Vladimir Putin kissing as the voting progressed.
Organizers said they planned to hold this year's Pride march despite the ban.
Parliament also passed a resolution opposing joint European borrowing for defence, after Orban said last week that Hungary would take part in common European defence policy and contribute funds to it but would not agree to joint borrowing.
The European Commission proposed earlier this month to borrow up to 150 billion euros ($163.67 billion) to lend to EU governments under a rearmament plan.
For approval, the proposal requires a qualified majority, or the backing of at least 15 of the EU's 27 countries, representing at least 65% of the bloc's population. Hungary alone cannot block the plan.
($1 = 0.9165 euros)
(Reporting by Krisztina Than, Anita Komuves and Marton MonusEditing by Tomasz Janowski and Gareth Jones)
