Budapest Mayor Said He Faced Charges Over Pride Rally. Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony said Hungarian police had recommended he be charged for allowing a Pride parade to take place despite a government ban. In a video posted online, Karácsony said police accused him of violating a new law on freedom of assembly, calling the allegation “completely absurd.” Hungary had banned the Budapest Pride march after adopting legislation restricting public assemblies involving the portrayal of LGBTQ+ issues to children. Karácsony, a Green politician and vocal opponent of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, rejected the ban and allowed the rally to proceed in June. Several EU politicians joined the parade in solidarity, despite warnings from the government that organizers and participants could face legal consequences. The mayor said it was inevitable that legal action would be taken against him in a system where, he argued, the law protected power rather than people. Karácsony said he was proud of his decision and said he was ready to defend both his own freedom and that of Budapest in court. The European Green Party condemned the move as a misuse of state power, as Hungary headed toward parliamentary elections in 2026.