EU Punishes Hungary for Banning Pride
By
LGBTQ Nation
The E.U. is standing up for LGBTQ+ rights as member state Hungary passed a law banning Pride celebrations and allowing law enforcement to use facial recognition technology to find people who attend such events.
“We stand with the LGBTQI community – in Hungary & in all Member States,” E.U. Commissioner for Equality Hadja Lahbib posted this week on social media. “The right to gather peacefully is a fundamental right to be championed across the European Union.”
Earlier this week, Hungary’s Parliament passed a ban on attending or hosting events that involve a “depiction or promotion” of homosexuality if minors might see it. The law stipulates a fine of around $550 for attending such an event and allows law enforcement officials to use facial recognition technology to track down people who attend. The law was introduced on Monday and passed on Tuesday in an expedited process.
The law is an extension of Hungary’s 2021 “child protection” law that bans depictions of homosexuality to people under the age of 18. This includes mentioning LGBTQ+ people at schools and depictions in the media of “gender deviating from sex at birth.”
According to the AFP, the European Commission – the executive arm of the E.U. – said that it has not yet considered taking action against Hungary for the bill since it has not yet officially become law.
“It’s extremely important as far as we’re concerned to fight any discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation,” said European Commission spokesperson Stefan de Keersmaecker. “We are waiting for the right approach and to make sure that Hungary is in line with the obligations that exist here on this front.”
The E.U. sued Hungary following the passage of its 2021 child protection law. The E.U. has also been withholding billions in funds from Hungary due to rule of law violations.
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