Beneath a blaze of rainbow flags and amid roars of defiance, big crowds gathered in the Hungarian capital Budapest for the city’s 30th annual Pride march – an event that, this year, is unfolding as both a celebration and a protest.

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets for Budapest Pride on Saturday in defiance of attempts by the government of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to ban the event. Dozens of members of the European Parliament joined the procession in support of the event in the Hungarian capital as the 30th annual event went ahead despite moves by the government to push back against LGBTQ+ rights.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s party enacted the ban, trying to create a dilemma for the opposition leader. Now it is the government that faces a tough choice.