Just days after Viktor Orban lost the election, the EU Court of Justice has ruled that Hungary violated the Union’s laws when the country banned access to LGBTQ content for children, and now orders the legislation to be scrapped.
The 2021 law restricts or bans what is termed the promotion of homosexuality and gender transition in media accessible to children. According to the court, Hungary’s legislation contravenes several EU laws and “constitutes a particularly serious infringement of several fundamental rights.”
When the law was adopted five years ago, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that “the Hungarian bill is a disgrace” and promised to use “all the Commission’s powers to ensure that the rights of all EU citizens are guaranteed, no matter who they are or where they live.”
READ ALSO: EU: Hungary must abandon Orbán’s policies – demands 27 changes to release frozen billions
However, under Orban’s leadership, Hungary did not back down and sought to stop the Pride parade planned in the central parts of Budapest. The government instead stated that it could take place, but only in an enclosed area.
They argued that such parades often contain highly sexualized elements that children should not be exposed to. At last year’s parade, several Swedish politicians from left-liberal parties participated to show their opposition to Orbán.
Commission Celebrates
The decision is in line with previous legal statements, and the court’s highest legal advisor has earlier claimed that Hungary has “significantly deviated from the model of a constitutional democracy.”
The EU Commission welcomes the ruling.
– We welcome today’s landmark ruling from the court … This is the first time the court has found such a violation of a core treaty provision regarding EU values, said Commission spokesperson Eva Hrncirova.
– The ball is now on the Hungarian side of the court; it is now up to the Hungarian government to implement the decision.
The EU’s executive authority can now take further steps and impose financial fines if Hungary does not comply with the ruling.
Among those who have responded to the verdict is Pavel Durov, founder of the encrypted messaging service Telegram:
READ ALSO: No Pride March through Budapest – government wants to protect children from sexual content