Police Bans Budapest LGBT Pride
12/06/2008
By
ILGA-Europe
Press Release by Hungarian LGBT organisations - 11.06.2008
We were appalled to learn that the police chief of Budapest has refused to allow the Gay Pride March (on 5th July) under the pretext that the march hinders traffic. Earlier the police suggested a stationary event at a remote part of the city.
The march is planned to proceed in one of the central streets of Budapest, Andrássy, the site of several earlier LGBT marches and other demonstrations. In our opinion and experience dating back several years, the march that takes up half of the broad road does not hinder the light Saturday afternoon traffic to an extent that would warrant its banning. Thus the reason given by the police seems only a pretext to make the march impossible, similar to Poland or Russia.
The suggestion by the police to hold a stationary event at a remote area would really only result in the event being hidden away from publicity, making one of its aims, increasing the visibility of LGBT people, impossible.
We call on the police chief of Budapest to refrain from an arbitrary interpretation of the Act on assembly in order to restrict LGBT people's and their friends' right to assembly, and to take notice of the demonstration without banning it. We call on the police not to try to prevent the attacks against the march by banning the march, instead they should do their job and protect the marchers from expected neo-Nazi attacks.
Atlasz LMBT SE
Dél-alföldi Meleg Baráti Kör
Együtt Egymásért Kelet-Magyarországon Egyesület
Flamingó Kör
Friss Gondolat Ifjúsági Egyesület
gay.hu
Háttér Társaság a Melegekért
Labrisz Leszbikus Egyesület
Lambda Budapest Baráti Társaság
Mások
Na végre!
Patent Egyesület
pride.hu
Szimpozion Egyesület
Szivárvány Misszió Alapítvány
We were appalled to learn that the police chief of Budapest has refused to allow the Gay Pride March (on 5th July) under the pretext that the march hinders traffic. Earlier the police suggested a stationary event at a remote part of the city.
The march is planned to proceed in one of the central streets of Budapest, Andrássy, the site of several earlier LGBT marches and other demonstrations. In our opinion and experience dating back several years, the march that takes up half of the broad road does not hinder the light Saturday afternoon traffic to an extent that would warrant its banning. Thus the reason given by the police seems only a pretext to make the march impossible, similar to Poland or Russia.
The suggestion by the police to hold a stationary event at a remote area would really only result in the event being hidden away from publicity, making one of its aims, increasing the visibility of LGBT people, impossible.
We call on the police chief of Budapest to refrain from an arbitrary interpretation of the Act on assembly in order to restrict LGBT people's and their friends' right to assembly, and to take notice of the demonstration without banning it. We call on the police not to try to prevent the attacks against the march by banning the march, instead they should do their job and protect the marchers from expected neo-Nazi attacks.
Atlasz LMBT SE
Dél-alföldi Meleg Baráti Kör
Együtt Egymásért Kelet-Magyarországon Egyesület
Flamingó Kör
Friss Gondolat Ifjúsági Egyesület
gay.hu
Háttér Társaság a Melegekért
Labrisz Leszbikus Egyesület
Lambda Budapest Baráti Társaság
Mások
Na végre!
Patent Egyesület
pride.hu
Szimpozion Egyesület
Szivárvány Misszió Alapítvány
