Budapest Pride Group Fights Police on March Restriction

The Budapest Police Department will not allow gays to gather this summer for a gay pride march, planned in the Hungarian capital for July 7.

Police have again rejected requests for the festivities because they said it would be impossible to redirect traffic to another route, according to the organizers of the Budapest Pride Film and Cultural Festival.

"Banning the march is one of the means used to silence the LGBTQ community," organizers said in a statement. "The last two years have seen democracy, human rights, and the rule of law threatened in Hungary, and through its actions, the government has infringed upon the rights of many groups."

Last year police withdrew permission for the march after learning that the group wanted to end its route at Parliament to protest discrimination and injustice toward LGBT people. The group said banning the pride march, the passage of a "family protection" law last year, and the rise of the Hungarian Society for the Science of the Family have all contributed to making life worse for the country's LGBT population.

Budapest Pride is working with the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union to appeal the police's decision.