Thousands marched through Budapest on Saturday in the first Pride parade since the fall of Viktor Orban’s government, waving rainbow flags with a distinctly British flavour. Organisers credited the UK’s legal framework for LGBTQ+ rights as a model for the new Hungarian administration, which has pledged to reverse the former prime minister’s anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.
The march, which drew an estimated 30,000 people, was a stark contrast to the years of state-sanctioned hostility under Orban, who had banned the “promotion” of homosexuality to minors and restricted same-sex adoption. The new interim government, led by technocrat Prime Minister Ilona Kovács, has signalled a dramatic shift. In her first official statement, Kovács described the UK’s Equality Act 2010 and the recent ban on conversion therapy as “benchmarks for a tolerant Europe.”
“We don’t need to reinvent the wheel,” said Gábor Szilágyi, a human rights lawyer advising the Hungarian government. “Britain has shown that you can protect religious freedom and ensure LGBTQ+ people are safe from discrimination. That’s the template we’re following.”
The UK’s Foreign Office has quietly welcomed the development. A spokesperson said, “We are proud that our legal framework is seen as a gold standard. But this is Hungary’s achievement, made by the courage of its people.”
Protesters carried signs reading “Love Wins in London, Now in Budapest” and “From Section 28 to Trans Rights: You Showed Us the Way.” The reference to Section 28, the Thatcher-era law that banned the “promotion” of homosexuality, drew wry smiles from older British activists who remembered the fight to scrap it.
For many, the parallels are personal. “I came out in 1988, the year Section 28 became law,” said Linda Riley, publisher of DIVA magazine, who attended the march. “To see Budapest using our journey as a roadmap is emotional. It shows that bigotry can be beaten, but it takes laws, not just love.”
The Hungarian government has already introduced a bill to repeal Orban’s “child protection” laws and is drafting a comprehensive anti-discrimination act modelled on UK legislation. But challenges remain. A counter-protest by far-right groups, smaller than in previous years, still disrupted the parade route. Police arrested 12 people for violent disorder.
Economic observers note the shift has practical benefits. Hungary’s tourism and tech sectors have struggled to attract talent under Orban’s regime. “International investors were spooked by the human rights record,” said economist Dr. Anna Veres. “Repealing these laws could boost foreign direct investment by 15% in two years.”
At the parade’s end, a rainbow flag was raised over Budapest’s City Hall for the first time. Mayor Gergely Karácsony said, “We are not copying Britain. We are learning from a friend. And we will adapt it to our own home.”
The UK’s export, it seems, is no longer just financial services. It is a vision of equality, hard-won and freely shared.
