The Hungarian government is clamping down on the country’s annual Budapest Pride parade, which has been running for almost 30 years, saying that it should not “dominate public spaces” – citing what it claims are “child protection” issues.

The country does not have to tolerate Pride marching through downtown Budapest,” Orban’s chief of staff, Gergely Gulyas, said at a Thursday news briefing.

Hungary will amend the constitution soon to emphasise child protection, the government said on Thursday, a move that paves the way for a ban on the annual Pride march by LGBTQ+ communities which it is targeting ahead of elections next year.

Hungary's government proposes moving Budapest Pride indoors due to child protection concerns, as part of broader restrictions on LGBTQ+ activities. Prime Minister Viktor Orban's conservative agenda faces criticism while preparing for 2026 elections.

Hungary's government has proposed legal changes to stop the annual Pride march from taking place in the "same public form" as previously, a top official said Thursday. Referring to that speech, Gulyas told journalists: "It follows directly from this that there will be no Pride in the future in the public form in which we have come to know Pride in recent decades.

Budapest Pride should be held in a "closed venue" this year rather than processing along an avenue in central Budapest as previously, Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Chief of Staff said on Wednesday, citing child protection.