29th Budapest Pride LGBTQ March

The LGBTQ community and their supporters marched in the Hungarian capital on Saturday as part of the Budapest Pride series of events, MTI reports.

The procession, waving rainbow flags, set off from near the downtown area, was going along Andrássy Avenue to Heroes' Square and to the adjacent stage in front of Vajdahunyad Castle in the City Park. There, it was poet and literary translator Orsolya Karafiáth called it boring to always talk about struggle, hurt and exclusion. She criticized the Hungarian government for doing everything to make homophobic voices heard. Her words were followed by speeches by activists and musical performances.

The march, which started with the slogan ‘Take back your future', featured music from five trucks and participants dancing on the back of the trucks and in the crowd. The Hungarian Two-Tailed Dog Party took part in the demonstration with a separate vehicle. The march also included a rainbow-colored banner of the Democratic Coalition.

Staff from the Hungarian diplomatic missions of the countries supporting the demonstration – like those of Austria, Belgium, Canada, Estonia, Latvia, Norway, Sweden, The Netherlands, the United States and others – marched behind a banner reading ‘Diplomats for pride’. The demonstrators were joined by the US Ambassador to Budapest, David Pressman and the Mayor of Budapest, Gergely Karácsony. 

The march route was not cordoned off by law enforcement officers this time either. Along the route of the march, sporadic counter demonstrators held up their signs.