Nicolae Ștefănuță, the vice-president of the European parliament, on Friday called on police to respect those attending the Budapest Pride march.
“I would like to say that the police and institutions of the state have a duty to protect the citizens,” he said. “It’s as clear as possible.”
The sentiment was echoed in a petition, signed by more than 120,000 people spanning 73 countries, that called on police to “reject this unjust law” – believed to be the first of its kind in the EU’s recent history – and ensure that the march proceeded “unhindered and peacefully, free from discrimination, harassment, fear or violence”.
Despite uncertainty, tens of thousands of Hungarians are expected to take part.
Joining them will be politicians and rights campaigners from more than 30 countries, including Ireland’s former taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Spain’s minister of culture, Ernest Urtasun, more than 70 members of the European parliament, and the mayors of Brussels and Amsterdam.
Organisers of BudapestPride, which this year will mark its 30th anniversary, said the government was attempting to restrict peaceful protests by targeting them.
“This event was one of the important milestones of the LGBTQ community,” said its spokesperson Máté Hegedüs.
“Our slogan this year is that we are at home. By this, we want to draw attention to the fact that LGBTQ people are an integral part of Hungarian society, just as any other people. In our history, in our culture, this is where we belong.”
Hours before the march was due to begin, however, uncertainty loomed over how officials would react.
While prime minister Victor Orbán has said that those who attend or organise the march will face “legal consequences”, he saidHungarywas a “civilised country” and police would not “break it up … It cannot reach the level of physical abuse”.
Good morning and welcome to theEuropelive blog. My name is Tom Ambrose and I’ll be bringing you all the latest news lines.
We start with news thatrecord numbers of people are expected to take part in Budapest Pride on Saturday. Hungarians will join forces with campaigners and politicians from acrossEuropein the march that has become a potent symbol of pushback against the Hungarian government’s steady rollback of rights.
“This weekend, all eyes are on Budapest,” Hadja Lahbib, the European commissioner for equality, told reporters in the Hungarian capital on Friday.
“This is bigger than onePridecelebration, one Pride march. It is about the right to be who you are, to love who you want, whether it is in Budapest, in Brussels or anywhere else.”
The country’s main Pride march wascast into doubtearlier this year after the country’s ruling Fidesz party – led by the rightwing populist Viktor Orbán – backed legislation that createda legal basisfor Pride to be banned, citing a widely criticised need to protect children.
The government alsosaid it would usefacial recognition software to identify people attending any banned events, potentially fining them up to €500 (£425).
The move caused outrage from withinHungaryand beyond, turning Budapest Pride into a rallying cry against a government that has long faced criticism for weakening democratic institutions and gradually undermining the rule of law.
Read the full story here:
In other developments:
Severe weather warningshave been issuedacross southern Europe,including inItaly,SpainandPortugal, with temperatures expected to get close to or locally even above 40C this weekend,prompting concerns about health hazards and wildfires(14:32).
Expected temperatures on early Saturday afternoon:Madrid38C,Thessaloníki38C,Florence38C,Rome37C,Lisbon36C,Tirana36C,Athens35C.
It will be hot inParis(32C) and still warm inLondonandBerlin28C, and inBrussels27C.
European leadersfailed to agree on the latest, 18th, package of sanctionsat last night’sEuropean Councilmeeting inBrussels, withHungaryandSlovakiaholding firm in their opposition to the proposed measures.
But it’s worth noting thatthe EUhasagreed on rolling over the already existing sanctions againstRussia,which were due to expire.
InGermany, lawmakersagreed to suspend family reunification rights for refugees without asylum statusas conservative chancellorFriedrich Merz’sgovernment pursuesa crackdown on immigration.
Kremlin spokespersonDmitry Peskovsaid thatEstonia’s stated intention to let Nato allies’ nuclear-capable aircraft use its territory was a direct threat to Moscow.