Prime minister’s chief of staff says event this year should be taken off streets

Hungary’s Budapest Pride should be held in a “closed venue” this year rather than on a city centre avenue as in previous years, the prime minister Viktor Orbán’s chief of staff has said, citing child protection.

The plan, announced on Wednesday, appeared to be part of Orbán’s restrictions on the activities of the LGBTQ+ community as the nationalist leader prepares for elections in 2026 in which his rightwing Fidesz party faces an unprecedented challenge from a new opponent.