At least 70 members of the European Parliament are planning on attending this year’s Pride celebrations in Budapest, Hungary, despite the nation’s ban against LGBTQ gatherings, officials have told CNN. Earlier this year, Hungarian lawmakers passed new legislation which outlaws Pride events in the country and allows authorities to use facial recognition technology to identify those attending any events that go ahead despite the ban. But officials from at least six groups of the European Parliament are planning on attending Budapest’s annual Pride march anyway, according to a spokesperson for Kim van Sparrentak, the co-president of the European Union’s Intergroup. The Intergroup describes itself as an “informal forum for Members of the European Parliament (MEPS) who wish to advance and protect the fundamental rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people.” Budapest Pride has remained determined in the face of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his government, which has previously said it is outlawing the parade and other LGBTQ gatherings in the country due to “child protection” issues.
