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Thousands of people took part in a banned Pride march on Saturday in the university city of Pecs in southwest Hungary.Several thousand people attended in defiance of a police ban on LGBTQ+ rallies.Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has been in power since 2010, has restricted the rights of the LGBTQ+ community in recent years.His ruling ultra-conservative Fidesz party passed a law in March allowing Pride marches to be banned, claiming the move was needed to “protect children.”
What else do we know about the Pecs Pride march?
Between 7,000 and 8,000 demonstrators had turned out for the rally on Saturday afternoon, according to the French AFP news agency.Several Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), including Nicolae Stefanuta from Romania and Tilly Metz from Luxembourg, also joined the rally in a show of solidarity.”I am here today because unfortunately, this demonstration is no longer just about the LGBTQ community but about the restriction of our fundamental human rights,” 18-year-old student Vencel Toth told AFP.The protesters waved rainbow and EU flags and held signs condemning Orban and his government, accusing it of being a “dictatorship.”Amnesty International has said the Orban government’s “repressive legislation” is exerting a “far-reaching and chilling effect” on the LGBTQ+ community in the country. The Pride march in Pecs was banned by police on September 6, which was upheld by the Supreme Court a week later. Attendees could face fines of up to €500 ($587).An earlier Pride march held in Budapest this year in June saw more than 200,000 people defy the police ban.
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