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Thousands Protest Against Hungary Bill Targeting LGBT Voices

Thousands Protest Against Hungary Bill Targeting LGBT Voices

Thousands of Hungarians flooded the square in front of the parliament building in Budapest to protest a draft law aimed at punishing pedophilia that divides the opposition ahead of 2022 elections.

The cabinet’s bill includes a phrase that outlaws advertisements “promoting homosexuality,” which has resulted in a split among opposition parties that are trying to join forces to confront Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s dominant Fidesz party in next year’s elections. The vote will take place on Tuesday.

The bill has pitted the right-leaning Jobbik party against other opposition parties, as it said it will approve the law, while other opposition groups say it violates human rights.

Television channel RTL said on Facebook the bill “severely hurts freedom of speech as well as the European Union treaty on human rights and freedom” that would ban any act of discrimination. The bill excludes gender minorities from mass media, thus making the fight against negative stereotypes impossible, it said.

Fidesz enjoys a supermajority in parliament, allowing it to pass any legislation without opposition support. Orban earlier effectively banned adoption for same-sex partners and enshrined in the constitution the idea that marriage is possible only between a man and a woman.

Hungary’s premier since 2010, Orban has sought to consolidate his hold over courts and civil society, and is embroiled in clashes with European Union leaders alarmed by his nationalist, authoritarian turn.

©2021 Bloomberg L.P.