Hungarian Supreme Court Overturns Police Ban on LGBTQ Protest
The ruling nullifies the police's prohibition of a mini-Pride event scheduled for June 1, citing a lack of justification.
The Hungarian Supreme Court has deemed the police's decision to ban the mini-Pride event, organized by five human rights organizations, as unfounded.
This ruling mandates a new procedural review by the authorities and requires them to compensate for legal costs.
The event, aimed at raising awareness of trans and homophobia on June 1, was targeted by police citing the recent fifteenth amendment to the Fundamental Law, which came into effect on April 15, 2025. This amendment states that every child has the right to appropriate protection and care necessary for their physical, mental, and moral development, implying that the right to peaceful assembly could be restricted in certain situations.
The five organizations involved include Amnesty International Hungary, Háttér Társaság, the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, the Rainbow Mission Foundation (the organizer of Budapest Pride), and the Társaság a Szabadságjogokért (TASZ).
They sought to challenge the police prohibition on grounds that it was contradictory.
The police had previously acknowledged and provided security for an LGBTQI rights demonstration on May 17, just a fortnight before the mini-Pride was scheduled.
In its announcement, the Supreme Court noted that this case marked a first application of the aforementioned amendment.
The court emphasized that the police’s ruling lacked substantial factual basis apart from wording concerning the location and participation of minors.
The court expressed that it was unclear why there was a need to prohibit the assembly when similar events had been permitted earlier.
The court ultimately annulled the police's decision, instructed them to conduct a new evaluation, and ordered them to take the scheduled event's timing into account while also imposing a requirement to pay a total of 224,000 forints in legal costs.
The court did not find it necessary for the matter to be referred to the European Court of Justice.
This ruling mandates a new procedural review by the authorities and requires them to compensate for legal costs.
The event, aimed at raising awareness of trans and homophobia on June 1, was targeted by police citing the recent fifteenth amendment to the Fundamental Law, which came into effect on April 15, 2025. This amendment states that every child has the right to appropriate protection and care necessary for their physical, mental, and moral development, implying that the right to peaceful assembly could be restricted in certain situations.
The five organizations involved include Amnesty International Hungary, Háttér Társaság, the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, the Rainbow Mission Foundation (the organizer of Budapest Pride), and the Társaság a Szabadságjogokért (TASZ).
They sought to challenge the police prohibition on grounds that it was contradictory.
The police had previously acknowledged and provided security for an LGBTQI rights demonstration on May 17, just a fortnight before the mini-Pride was scheduled.
In its announcement, the Supreme Court noted that this case marked a first application of the aforementioned amendment.
The court emphasized that the police’s ruling lacked substantial factual basis apart from wording concerning the location and participation of minors.
The court expressed that it was unclear why there was a need to prohibit the assembly when similar events had been permitted earlier.
The court ultimately annulled the police's decision, instructed them to conduct a new evaluation, and ordered them to take the scheduled event's timing into account while also imposing a requirement to pay a total of 224,000 forints in legal costs.
The court did not find it necessary for the matter to be referred to the European Court of Justice.
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