Organizers welcome decision of the Court to overturn the ban of the Budapest Pride March [via ilga-europe.org]

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Amplify’d from ilga-europe.org

Organizers welcome decision of the Court to overturn the ban of the Budapest Pride March

Media release from The Rainbow Mission Foundation *** The Rainbow Mission Foundation (RMF) welcomes the decision of the Metropolitan Court of Budapest regarding the route of the Gay Pride March. We hope that the decision will serve as guidance for any political group that question the right to freedom of assembly of Hungarian gays and lesbians. Hungary is governed by the rule of law. The decision of the Metropolitan Court of Budapest dated February 19, 2011 which overturned the decision of the Budapest Police to ban the Pride March serves as ample evidence for that. RMF is not surprised by the hesitation of the police, which lead to the decision to ban the event. During the past years politicians from current governing parties have regularly questioned the right to freedom of assembly of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. The problems are not limited to debates about the march: since the entry into power of the new government last year there have been several signs that the FIDESZ-KDNP government disregards equal opportunities for LGBT people. By remaining silent or by inciting intolerance the government has actively contributed to the reproduction of prejudices and discrimination against LGBT people. We find the press release of the Christian Democratic People’s Party (KDNP) welcoming the police decision which was found by the court to be illegal and severely violating human rights particularly alarming. This shows once again that the party’s policy is not based on the Christian values of acceptance and human dignity, but rather on social exclusion guided by prejudices. Hungary is currently in the process of adopting a new Constitution which will be the basis for the political and social setup of the country. We consider it quite inadequate that in this debate the main problem for KDNP is how to include in the Constitution the discrimination of gay and lesbian couples. The argument against the Pride March that “what homosexuals struggle for has already been achieved by the introduction of registered partnership” is especially cynical from a party that has done everything to stop that law from entering into force, and even after the unambiguous decision of the Constitutional Court still struggles for its elimination or weakening. We hope that voices from the government side that spoke out against the ban will strengthen in the future and become a clear voice for human rights supportive of the struggle of LGBT people. This struggle for the legal and social equality of LGBT people is not a question of party politics. In several European countries conservative parties also stand up for the rights of this minority. It is high time that Hungarian right-wing parties follow their path. In June 2011 we will organize our march for the 16th time to show the diversity of our community, and through peaceful protest call the attention of policy makers and the broader society to the problems of LGBT people. We welcome anyone committed to the cause of human rights and acceptance, regardless of sexual orientation or political opinion to join us at our march.

Rainbow Mission Foundation Read more at ilga-europe.org

 

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