Cyprus News Agency

Hungarian prosecutors said they will bring charges against Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony over his role in organizing a Pride march that authorities had previously banned and which took place in the Hungarian capital last June.

According to the Budapest prosecutor’s office, Karacsony will not stand trial but is facing a fine. The indictment states that the mayor published a video message announcing that the city’s metropolitan municipality would organize the march and inviting followers to take part.

Karacsony, a Green Party politician, said in an emailed statement: “The prosecution wants to fine me without holding a court hearing simply because we organized the largest freedom march of recent decades. They do not want a trial because they do not want to confront it.”

A Green Party politician and a strong opponent of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Karacsony opposed the ban and called on people to join the 2025 Budapest Pride march. The event took place in June and drew more than 100,000 participants, including many European politicians. Two months later, Karacsony was questioned by the Hungarian state police. Last December, he said in a social media post that he would face government charges over the case.

Prosecutors argue that the event qualifies as a prohibited assembly under recent amendments. In a statement, the public prosecutor’s office said that by allowing the event to proceed, the Budapest mayor committed the offense of “violating the freedom of association and assembly.”