(Adnkronos) – The mayor of Budapest, Hungarian opposition figure Gergely Karacsony, was indicted today for organizing last June’s Pride in the capital, which attracted a record number of participants, defying the ban imposed by Viktor Orban’s government. The Budapest prosecutor’s office announced that “charges have been filed and a fine will be sought against the mayor who organized and led a public demonstration despite the police ban.”
“The district office has proposed to the court to impose the fine in an expedited procedure without a trial,” the statement continues, without detailing the amount of the measure. Karacsony reacted to the indictment by stating that he will go from being “a proud suspect to a proud defendant.” “They don’t even want a trial – he added on Facebook – because they can’t even understand that here in this city, we stood up for freedom, defying a selfish, petty, and despicable power.”
As part of a long campaign by the nationalist prime minister against LGBT rights in the name of “child protection,” the coalition supporting his government passed a law last March to ban Pride. But the mayor and the city of Budapest resorted to municipal regulations to allow the parade to take place, which attracted over 200,000 people, including dozens of European political figures. According to the law, participants in the procession could face fines of up to 500 euros, but the police decided last July not to take action against them, while in August the mayor was questioned and could have faced up to a year in prison for organizing a prohibited demonstration.
