The mayor of Budapest wondered about the organization of Banned Pride March

The mayor of Budapest was questioned by police as a suspect to help organize an LGBTQ march prohibited in the city.

The event took place on June 28 despite the warnings of potential legal repercussions of the Hungarian nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose government adopted a law earlier this year to prohibit the event.

The organizers say that despite the threats of fines, 200,000 record people participated in the rally, which quickly became an antigan demonstration.

Wearing a rainbow t-shirt featuring the Capitals coat of arms, the mayor Gergely Karacsony, who appeared on Friday at the National Hungarian investigation office, told supporters: “Neither freedom nor love can be prohibited in Budapest”.

If he is charged and condemned, Karacsony could incur up to a year in prison for organizing and encouraged participation in a prohibited march.

“They described the accusation. I said that I had considered this baseless and that I will file a complaint against her,” Karacsony told a crowd of 200 supporters and journalists who had gathered outside the building where he was questioned for more than an hour.

“Neither freedom nor love can be prohibited in Budapest,” said the mayor, who added: “If he cannot be prohibited, he cannot be punished.”

Accompanied by his lawyer, Karacsony did not answer any questions asked by the investigators but rather presented his own declaration to them.

The annual march of pride was in doubt since the government adopted a law in March restricting the rallies if they violate the laws on child protection on public promotion on homosexuality.

It was the last measure of the Government of Orban targeting the LGBTQ + community of Hungary.

In 2020, Hungary abolished its legal recognition of transgender persons and, in 2021, the government adopted a law prohibiting the representation of homosexuality under 18 years.

Despite the ban, the mayor was held in challenge, promising: “The town hall of Budapest will organize the Budapest Pride march as a local event on June 28”, and argued that the police could not legally prohibit a municipal event.

Last month, the police announced that they would not act against the participants who could have made fines of up to € 500 (£ 427; $ 586) for attending the pride parade.

However, the National Office of the Hungarian Investigation, which is responsible for investigating serious and complex crimes, said that it had launched an investigation against an “unknown author” accused of organizing the rally.