Politically, Orban’s inability to stop Pride from going ahead risks projecting weakness at a time when his Fidesz party is trailing in the polls. However, a heavy-handed police response could also deepen public dissatisfaction and further undermine his support.

Record numbers of people marched in the Budapest Pride parade Saturday, defying a government ban that marked a major pushback against LGBTQ rights in the European Union.

Tens of thousands of protesters have marched through Hungary's capital as a banned LGBTQ+ rights rally swelled into a mass demonstration against the government.