Community

Court overrules police to give go-ahead to Budapest Pride

Apr 16 2012
Written by Stephen Gray

A court in Budapest has reportedly overruled the police’s decision not to grant a licence for the city’s gay pride march.

The move, which is similar to a decision taken last year to overrule the police, means Hungary’s capital should be able to host a Pride parade this year.

The 2012 Pride March was scheduled to take place on 7 July along one of the city’s main thoroughfares.

Police refused The Rainbow Mission Foundation’s application arguing it would affect traffic movement, a decision that was similarly overturned last year.

A court in the city said the police had no legal grounds on which to deny the application, Hungarian news site politics.hu said today. It said Amnesty International’s Hungary Director Orsolya Jeney confirmed the rights to free assembly in the country and hailed it as a victory for the gay and transgender community.

Last year, the Budapest Metropolitan Court overruled a police decision to deny an application to extend the route of the 2011 Budapest Gay Pride March to the parliament building. The police had blamed their decision on concerns over traffic disruption then too, although campaigners said the decision was politically motivated.