UN to Hungary: "You must welcome gay people"
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has raised concerns regarding Hungary's newly enacted law that bans pride events, urging the government to repeal the legislation. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has contended that...
TroibNews 
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has raised concerns regarding Hungary's newly enacted law that bans pride events, urging the government to repeal the legislation. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has contended that the law is intended to protect minors from perceived harmful influences.
On Tuesday, Hungary’s parliament approved a law that prohibits pride events and grants authorities the ability to utilize facial recognition technology to identify participants, imposing fines of $500. The legislation, which was supported by Orban’s Fidesz party and its junior coalition partner, the Christian Democrats, passed with a vote of 136-27 through an expedited process.
This law modifies the country’s assembly regulations to forbid events that are seen to contravene Hungary’s child protection laws, which disallow the depiction of homosexuality to minors. Additionally, all revenue from the imposed fines is designated for child protection initiatives. The legislation has led to protests in Budapest, with opposition lawmakers employing smoke bombs within the parliament chamber.
In a statement made on Friday, UN Human Rights spokesperson Liz Throssell criticized the law, expressing that the agency is “deeply concerned” about the legislation, which she stated “results in arbitrary and discriminatory restrictions on the rights of LGBTIQ+ individuals to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and privacy.”
She also denounced the surveillance measures included in the law, asserting they “should be limited to those strictly necessary and proportionate for achieving legitimate objectives and should never be deployed in a discriminatory manner.”
UN Human Rights chief Volker Turk has called on Hungarian authorities to repeal the law, encouraging them to address what he described as “the high levels of intolerance, discrimination, bullying and harassment related to sexual orientation.”
Orban, known for his staunch opposition to "woke policies," has defended the legislation, asserting that “the international gender network must take its hands off our children.” He accused EU authorities and the previous US administration of “pushing their harmful agendas,” but noted that following the election of US President Donald Trump, “the winds have shifted in our favor.”
“We finally have the space to act and protect our children. No more re-education, no more compromises. Our children come first, and we will fight to defend their future,” he wrote on X.
Aarav Patel for TROIB News
On Tuesday, Hungary’s parliament approved a law that prohibits pride events and grants authorities the ability to utilize facial recognition technology to identify participants, imposing fines of $500. The legislation, which was supported by Orban’s Fidesz party and its junior coalition partner, the Christian Democrats, passed with a vote of 136-27 through an expedited process.
This law modifies the country’s assembly regulations to forbid events that are seen to contravene Hungary’s child protection laws, which disallow the depiction of homosexuality to minors. Additionally, all revenue from the imposed fines is designated for child protection initiatives. The legislation has led to protests in Budapest, with opposition lawmakers employing smoke bombs within the parliament chamber.
In a statement made on Friday, UN Human Rights spokesperson Liz Throssell criticized the law, expressing that the agency is “deeply concerned” about the legislation, which she stated “results in arbitrary and discriminatory restrictions on the rights of LGBTIQ+ individuals to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and privacy.”
She also denounced the surveillance measures included in the law, asserting they “should be limited to those strictly necessary and proportionate for achieving legitimate objectives and should never be deployed in a discriminatory manner.”
UN Human Rights chief Volker Turk has called on Hungarian authorities to repeal the law, encouraging them to address what he described as “the high levels of intolerance, discrimination, bullying and harassment related to sexual orientation.”
Orban, known for his staunch opposition to "woke policies," has defended the legislation, asserting that “the international gender network must take its hands off our children.” He accused EU authorities and the previous US administration of “pushing their harmful agendas,” but noted that following the election of US President Donald Trump, “the winds have shifted in our favor.”
“We finally have the space to act and protect our children. No more re-education, no more compromises. Our children come first, and we will fight to defend their future,” he wrote on X.
Aarav Patel for TROIB News
