Hungarian EU presidency risks embarrassment

„In an embarrassing twist for the Hungarian EU presidency, the police used the EU chairmanship itself as justification. The official decision says tourists coming to see a presidency photo exhibition in parliament square could be vexed by the marchers, Mr Dombos reported. It also says official motorcades relating to presidency visits could be obstructed. »Hungary is representing the whole of the EU, not just in Europe, but worldwide, and this gives a bad message. The EU is supposed to stand up for human rights«, the campaigner added.

The march comes in the context of a general swing to the right under Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Fidesz party. Rights campaigners are worried that a Fidesz-proposed constitutional amendment will make it impossible to legalise gay marriage in future by defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

They are also concerned that Annamaria Szalai, the head of Hungary's new National Media and Telecommunication Authority, has indicated she will use her sweeping powers to protect what she calls »family values.« Ms Szalai earlier in her career edited a pornographic magazine called Miami Press. Asked if he thinks that Mr Orban is a homophobe, Tamas Dombos from the Hungarian gay rights group Hatter Support Society said: »He is a political strategist. His party has changed its position so violently it's hard to know what they really think and what are political games.«”