Opposition leaders rally for freedom and human rights at Budapest Pride

Freedom, human rights and free love “are the values that brought us here today,” Klára Dobrev, the leader of the opposition Democratic Coalition, said at a conference organised on the sidelines of the Budapest Pride by the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats and NGOs.

Dobrev said, “our leftist friends are providing solidarity and support that Hungarians need more than anything now.” In the face of “threats” of Fidesz to the organisers, attending Pride took courage and principle, she said. “We are here to show we cannot be threatened.”

“The overwhelming majority of Hungarians doesn’t want anything to do with the power represented by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán,” she said. S and D group president Iratxe Garcia Perez said they were there to stand up for rights and dignity, as well as Hungarians. “We can’t fight for Europe only in Brussels, we must protect Europe here too,” she said.

Ana Catarina Mendes, the party family’s vice president, said they had come to fight for freedom, dignity and human rights.

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