Mini-Pride held in Brussels after Budapest ban

A "mini-Pride" was held in Brussels on Wednesday to denounce the ban on Budapest Pride in Hungary.

Amnesty International activists organised the event in response to the ban on the 30th edition of Budapest Pride, according to a statement from the organisation.

A march took place from the European Parliament to the Permanent Representation of Hungary to the European Union.

Members of LGBTQIA+ rights associations, as well as political and European representatives, took part in the event.

At the same time, an international campaign called "Let Pride March" has been launched by Amnesty International.

This initiative follows the adoption of a Hungarian law banning Pride marches, passed on 18 March. The law also authorises the Hungarian government to use facial recognition to target participants.

This legislation is an extension of a law of 15 June 2021 which had the aim "adopting stricter measures against paedophile offenders and amending certain laws to ensure the protection of children".

The Hungarian law restricts minors’ access to content or advertising that promotes opinions contrary to the Hungarian government's position on personal identity based on birth sex, gender reassignment or homosexuality.

The law was deemed contrary to EU law by the Advocate General of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in an opinion delivered earlier this month.