Budapest Mayor Questioned by Police over Banned Pride March

A Pride march in Budapest organized by the liberal Momentum party was banned this week by the city's mayor, who is also the leader of the conservative Fidesz party.

On July 27th, Mayor Orban informed the organizers that the march would not be permitted due to an alleged overlap with a major parliamentary session, despite the march traditionally taking place on the last Sunday of August.

Police have now questioned Momentum's leader, Peter Juhasz, regarding the unauthorized demonstration. Juhasz has been charged with disrupting an authorized gathering and refusing to abide by instructions of an officer, which are both violations of the Public Gathering Act.

This move has been seen as a means of intimidation by many, as the country becomes increasingly authoritarian.

Allowing Censorship and Suppression of Voices

This ban prevents citizens from exercising their right to express themselves freely and to assemble peacefully. The actions by the Hungarian government serve to instill fear and silence those who have differing opinions.

This is just one event in a series of restrictions and crackdowns on any opposition or critical voices by Fidesz, which has been in power since 2010.

International Reactions and Concerns

Many international leaders and organizations have criticized these actions and expressed concern over the state of democracy in Hungary. The EU has long been criticized for its passive approach in dealing with member states violating democratic principles.

Whether this will lead to any actual change in light of the deteriorating democracy in the country remains to be seen.