According to article 2 of the treaty of the EU, the bloc is founded on respect for human dignity in societies where “pluralism, non-discrimination [and] tolerance prevail.”
Try telling that to the organizers of next month’s Budapest Pride march.
Following new laws introduced by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s Fidesz government, Hungary has become the first EU country to legislate to enable the banning of a Pride event. An amendment to the country’s constitution now allows public LGBTQ+ events to be designated a threat to children, expanding the scope of earlier laws targeted at schools. As a result, organizers and participants in Budapest’s Pride celebration on June 28 risk being fined and harassed if they turn up to the parade.
Unsurprisingly, and accurately, Orban’s ban has been described as a “full-frontal attack” on LGBTQ+ people. It is also a typically Machiavellian maneuver by the prime minister, intended to provoke a backlash from liberals at home and abroad. As Fidesz trails in the polls ahead of elections next year, Orban is turning to his polarizing playbook once again.
That Orban might be hoping for a reaction does not mean there should not be one. The banning of a Pride parade in a European capital would be in flagrant contravention of EU law regarding freedom of assembly and freedom of expression. A delegation of EU lawmakers who visited Hungary last month reported that the new law had already created a “very hostile atmosphere” for LGBTQ+ Hungarians and led to a rise in violent attacks.
In Brussels, demands for a showdown with Orban were already growing, partly as a result of his pro-Russian President Vladimir Putin obstructionism throughout the war in Ukraine. Hungary is currently denied access to 18 billion euros in EU funds, due to rule-of-law concerns relating to issues such as the treatment of asylum seekers and corruption. However, its rogue prime minister has largely led the European Commission a merry dance and shown contempt for its strictures. This week 20 member states, including France and Germany, published a declaration demanding that all possible sanctions should be deployed if the new anti-LGBTQ+ legislation is not withdrawn.
Unanimity rules mean they would be unlikely to include the suspension of Hungary’s rights as a voting member of the European Council — a move that would be vetoed by Slovakia’s national populist government. However, at the very minimum, the council should move swiftly to identify Orban’s government as clearly in breach of EU values and act to substantially close off its access to Brussels’ funds.
The first Budapest Pride parade took place in 1997. Writing in the Guardian last month, a Hungarian opposition legislator described the event as “the largest recurring demonstration of human rights in Hungary.” According to polls, 78 percent of the city’s residents wish it to go ahead as normal. At a time when the EU’s liberal norms are being challenged by the rise of authoritarianism and intolerance in the West and beyond, its leaders must respond robustly to Orban’s latest shameless attempt to undermine them for his own political ends.
In a summer of intense political maneuvering, Taiwanese, whose democratic vibrancy is a constant rebuke to Beijing’s authoritarianism, delivered a powerful verdict not on China, but on their own political leaders. Two high-profile recall campaigns, driven by the ruling party against its opposition, collapsed in failure. It was a clear signal that after months of bitter confrontation, the Taiwanese public is demanding a shift from perpetual campaign mode to the hard work of governing. For Washington and other world capitals, this is more than a distant political drama. The stability of Taiwan is vital, as it serves as a key player
Much like the first round on July 26, Saturday’s second wave of recall elections — this time targeting seven Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers — also failed. With all 31 KMT legislators who faced recall this summer secure in their posts, the mass recall campaign has come to an end. The outcome was unsurprising. Last month’s across-the-board defeats had already dealt a heavy blow to the morale of recall advocates and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), while bolstering the confidence of the KMT and its ally the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP). It seemed a foregone conclusion that recalls would falter, as
The fallout from the mass recalls and the referendum on restarting the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant continues to monopolize the news. The general consensus is that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has been bloodied and found wanting, and is in need of reflection and a course correction if it is to avoid electoral defeat. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has not emerged unscathed, either, but has the opportunity of making a relatively clean break. That depends on who the party on Oct. 18 picks to replace outgoing KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫). What is certain is that, with the dust settling
Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Shen You-chung (沈有忠) on Thursday last week urged democratic nations to boycott China’s military parade on Wednesday next week. The parade, a grand display of Beijing’s military hardware, is meant to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II. While China has invited world leaders to attend, many have declined. A Kyodo News report on Sunday said that Japan has asked European and Asian leaders who have yet to respond to the invitation to refrain from attending. Tokyo is seeking to prevent Beijing from spreading its distorted interpretation of wartime history, the report