Charges Dropped Against Budapest Mayor for 2025 Pride March

Fri Jun 05 2026 00:00:20 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Hungarian prosecutors have dropped charges against Mayor Gergely Karacsony over his role in organizing the 2025 Budapest Pride march amid an EU Court ruling deeming Hungary’s anti‑LGBTQ laws unlawful.

The mayor had been charged with organising a Pride march that defied a government ban. An EU Court of Justice ruling nullified Hungary’s anti‑LGBTQ laws, prompting prosecutors to drop the case. The event drew over 200,000 participants and reflected a growing shift away from Viktor Orbán’s regime.

Charges Dropped Against Budapest Mayor for Organizing 2025 Pride March

Hungarian prosecutors have officially dropped the case against Mayor Gergely Karacsony over his role in the June 2025 Pride march that defied a government ban.

The march was organised amid warnings from Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, whose administration had enacted a law prohibiting public LGBTQ events. Despite the ban, the city’s annual Pride rally attracted a record‑breaking 200,000 attendees.

Karacsony, who had been charged in January for organising the demonstration, cited the European Court of Justice’s ruling that Hungary’s anti‑LGBTQ legislation contravened EU principles of equality and minority rights. In April, the EU court declared the ban on “promotion of homosexuality” and gender transition to minors illegal.

Prosecutors announced on Thursday that, “Considering the ruling by the European Court of Justice, the charges against the Budapest mayor for violating the law on freedom of assembly were dropped.”

The decision came as Hungary sees a new political shift following the election of Péter Magyar, who succeeded Orbán and was sworn in as prime minister. EU sources hailed Hungary’s “wind of change” and noted that the new administration would unlock €16.4 billion in funding for future projects.

Karacsony’s appearance at the march underscored his stance, as he declared, “Neither freedom nor love can be banned in Budapest.” The event and its aftermath highlight growing tensions between Hungary’s domestic policies and European legal standards.