Budapest police’s important decision about the proceedings Budapest Pride participants may face
No legal action will be taken against participants of the banned Budapest Pride rally, the Budapest Police Headquarters (BRFK) said on Monday, citing “legal uncertainties” for its decision.
On June 16 a private individual lodged a request to hold a rally planned for June 28, a statement on the police website said. The police headquarters then contacted the metropolitan municipality, which has certain rights over the public areas in the city, and was told a municipal event would be held at the location and time in question.
The event dubbed “Budapest Pride”, however, was banned by the BRFK as it fell under the definition of a meeting prohibited by the Assembly Act, so the organisers were told the gathering would be unlawful. The organisers, despite being aware of the ban, called people to the gathering, claiming that it was not unlawful.
Given the contradictory statements and the metropolitan administration’s involvement, many participants would have found the legal interpretation confusing or would have assumed that they were participating lawfully, the statement said. For this reason, the police “will not initiate proceedings against the participants”, the statement said.
More Hungarian police news.
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