BUDAPEST: Police will question Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony as a suspect for organising the city’s 30th Pride parade, which authorities had banned earlier this year.
The mayor’s office confirmed the summons to AFP on Thursday, stating he will be questioned next week.
The June event saw a record turnout, with organisers estimating over 200,000 participants.
Many viewed the march as a protest against Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government, which has tightened restrictions on LGBTQ rights under the banner of “child protection.”
In February, Orban announced plans to ban the annual Pride celebration.
His ruling coalition later passed legislation prohibiting such events, prompting Budapest city hall to step in as co-organiser in an attempt to bypass the new rules.
Despite this, police enforced the ban, with Orban warning of “legal consequences” for attendees.
“The mayor was summoned as a suspect by the investigating authority and will be questioned next week,“ the mayor’s office told AFP.
Police have already launched an investigation against an “unknown perpetrator” for organising an unauthorised rally.
If formally charged, Karacsony could face up to a year in prison.
Karacsony, an environmentalist and opposition figure, defended his actions on Facebook, writing, “I became a suspect, and if that is the price we have to pay in this country for standing up for our own freedom and that of others, then I am proud of it.”
Orban previously condemned the Pride march as a “disgrace,“ while his government accused the opposition of acting “at Brussels’ command” to impose “woke culture” on Hungary.
Despite threats of fines up to 500 euros ($590), police later announced they would not penalise attendees. – AFP
