BUDAPEST — Over 10,000 protesters dressed in gray flooded the streets of Hungary’s capital on Saturday, turning the city into a symbolic sea of sameness in a biting satire aimed at Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s restrictive stance on LGBTQ rights. The protest, dubbed the “Gray Pride,” was organized by the satirical opposition party Magyar Kétfarkú Kutya Párt (MKKP — Hungarian Two-Tailed Dog Party), following the recent government ban on the annual Pride march.
Demonstrators carried mock slogans such as “Monotony is Trendy,” “Death to Colors,” and “Uniformity is Cool,” mocking the government’s efforts to stifle diversity and individual expression. The protest was both a critique of the Orbán administration’s crackdown on LGBTQ events and a broader condemnation of what critics call Hungary’s increasingly authoritarian political climate.
The satirical tone of the demonstration masked deep concerns over the shrinking space for civil liberties in Hungary. In March, the government passed amendments to the assembly law that effectively banned the Budapest Pride parade, sparking national and international outrage.
“We support the government’s noble goal to eliminate diversity, because clearly all of society’s problems stem from individuality,” the MKKP said in a sarcastic statement. “Inflation, housing shortages, poor healthcare—none of these matter as much as banning rainbow flags.”
Participants wore gray clothing and carried gray flags, visually reinforcing the irony of a “pride” march stripped of color, inclusion, and joy. The demonstration echoed growing frustrations over Hungary’s sociopolitical direction under Orbán, whose government has repeatedly clashed with the EU over rule-of-law and minority rights.
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