Around 70 MEPs from the liberal, green and left wing of the European Parliament joined the Belgian equality commissioner in Budapest on Saturday afternoon, as thousands of protestors marched through the Hungarian capital, waving rainbow and EU flags.

The MEPs were primarily from the liberal Renew Europe, Socialists & Democrats, the Left and Greens groups, joined by one Irish European People’s Party (EPP) MEP, Maria Walsh.

Tens of thousands joined the march, with organisers claiming as many as 200,000 were on the streets.

“Long before I got into politics, and long before I leave, I’ll be showing up for Pride. For me and for my values, Pride is incredibly important. I only wish more were here, but I joined together with over 70 other MEPs from across political parties,” Walsh told Euronews.

“It’s not about one party versus the other party. It’s about one human being showing up for another,” she added, when quizzed on the fact that there was no EPP delegation with her.

“I would have preferred that more EPP people would have joined the event. I think it’s disappointing because this is an important mobilisation,” the President of Renew Europe, Valérie Hayer, told Euronews.

“We have noted, since the start of this term, that the EPP is wavering between the democratic forces and the extreme right. It’s a pity that the EPP doesn’t understand who their adversaries are,” said French socialist MEP Emma Rafowicz.

A notable EPP absence was Hungarian opposition leader and MEP Peter Magyar. His centre-right party Tisza party is currently leading the governing Fidesz party in opinion polls for the 2026 parliamentary election.

Magyar was not in Budapest, avoiding taking a stance of the issue of the thorny issue of the Pride march, which a recent survey indicated divides opinion in the country, with 47% of Hungarians opposed to it taking place. 

However, earlier in the day he called for a peaceful protest. “I ask everyone not to fall for any provocation. If anyone gets hurt today in Budapest, if anyone comes to harm, Viktor Orbán alone will be responsible,” Magyar posted to his social platforms.

European Commissioner for equality Hadja Lahbib held meetings with local civil society organisations on Friday. However, she did not show up at the march, telling Euronews that she instead would be attending meetings in the city.

Risking fines and jail time

In March, the Hungarian parliament approved a bill that in effect banned the gay pride march. As the legislation states, this event could violate Hungary’s so-called child protection law, adopted earlier in the country, prohibiting any portrayal of same sex relationships for minors.

The European Commission views this as a violation of its community law and has referred the case to the European Court of Justice.

Conservative and far-right MEPs in the European Parliament defended Orbán’s move to ban Pride events, saying the EU should not interfere in Hungary’s internal affairs.

However, the mayor of Budapest, Gergely Karácsony from the Green party, allowed the parade to go ahead by re-labeling it as a ‘Day of Freedom’ celebration, officially organized by the city council. 

This legal loophole allowed the thousands of people to march through the streets of Budapest in sweltering heat, protesting not just the ban Pride ban, but Viktor Orban’s government generally. Alongside pride flags and the loud music, there were banners displaying the prime minister. 

“I am not a big fan of Pride events, but this extends beyond Pride. This is about freedom too, because Hungary, a European Union country, banning Pride, is simply not on,” one attendee told Euronews of his motivations for attending.

Security was tight, with security cameras installed on lamp posts in the city centre and hundreds of police officers deployed at key spots of the parade, keeping watch over protesters and ensuring there were no clashes. 

Attendees were warned by the Hungarian Ministry of Justice that parade organisers risked up to a year in prison, and that those marching could be fined €500. The police have been encouraged by the government to use facial recognition technology to identify the attendees, although Karácsony insists that nobody will face punishment for their participation in the march.

Anti-LGBT protesters also assembled in Budapest

The nationalist 64 Counties Youth Movement held a legally sanctioned event on the same square in Budapest where Pride participants later gathered. Meanwhile, the Our Homeland Movement, a small far-right parliamentary party, organised a police-approved counter-march along the same route as the municipal Pride event.

However, during the day the far-right protest was blocked by a strong police presence to avoid conflict. 

No major incidents were reported by the evening, although Euronews witnessed a confrontation between a small group of the 64 Counties Youth Movement – holding a banner comparing LGBT people to paedophiles and the Pride March.

“We are here because we want to warn the people of Hungary about the LGBT paedophilia, it is a really danger for our children,” one anti-LGBT protester told Euronews.

Another anti-Pride protester tried to stop the march by standing in front of the truck leading the parade. He was jeered by the crowd and removed by the police. 

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A tech industry trade group sued Arkansas Friday over two new laws that would place limits on content on social media platforms and would allow parents of children who killed themselves to sue over content on the platforms.

The lawsuit by NetChoice filed in federal court in Fayetteville, Arkansas, comes months after a federal judge struck down a state law requiring parental consent before minors can create new social media accounts. The new laws were signed by Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders earlier this year.

“Despite the overwhelming consensus that laws like the Social Media Safety Act are unconstitutional, Arkansas elected to respond to this Court’s decision not by repealing the provisions that it held unconstitutional but by instead doubling down on its overreach,” NetChoice said in its lawsuit.

Arkansas is among several states that have been enacting restrictions on social media, prompted by concerns about the impact on children’s mental health. NetChoice — whose members include TikTok, Facebook parent Meta, and the social platform X — challenged Arkansas’ 2023 age-verification law for social media. A federal judge who initially blocked the law struck it down in March.

Similar laws have been blocked by judges in Florida and Georgia.

A spokesperson for Attorney General Tim Griffin said his office was reviewing the latest complaint and looked forward to defending the law.

One of the new laws being challenged prohibits social media platforms from using a design, algorithm or feature it “knows or should have known through the exercise of reasonable care” would cause a user to kill themself, purchase a controlled substance, develop an eating disorder, develop an addiction to the platform.

The lawsuit said that provision is unconstitutionally vague and doesn’t offer guidance on how to determine which content would violate those restrictions, and the suit notes it would restrict content for both adults and minors. The suit questions whether songs that mention drugs, such as Afroman’s “Because I Got High,” would be prohibited under the new law.

The law being challenged also would allow parents whose children have died by suicide or attempted to take their lives to sue social media companies if they were exposed to content promoting or advancing self-harm and suicide. The companies could face civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation.

NetChoice is also challenging another law that attempts to expand Arkansas’ blocked restrictions on social media companies. That measure would require social media platforms to ensure minors don’t receive notifications between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.

The measure also would require social media companies to ensure their platform “does not engage in practices to evoke any addiction or compulsive behavior.” The suit argues that the law doesn’t explain how to comply with that restriction and is so broadly written that it’s unclear what kind of posts or material would violate it.

“What is ‘addictive’ to some minors may not be addictive to others. Does allowing teens to share photos with each other evoke addiction?” the lawsuit said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned President Donald Trump Friday to drop what he called a “disrespectful” tone toward Tehran’s supreme leader or face serious consequences. 

In a blunt post on X, Araghchi said if Trump truly wants a deal with Iran, he must show respect instead of insulting Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Araghchi wrote that Trump should “put aside the disrespectful and unacceptable tone” toward Khamenei and “stop hurting [Khamenei’s] millions of heartfelt followers.”

IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER SLAMS TRUMP JUST DAYS AFTER US STRIKES ON NUCLEAR SITES

Araghchi wrote, “The complexity and tenacity of Iranians is famously known in our magnificent carpets, woven through countless hours of hard work and patience. But as a people, our basic premise is very simple and straightforward: we know our worth, value our independence, and never allow anyone else to decide our destiny.”

Araghchi’s most provocative line came as he mocked Israel’s reliance on the U.S. during the recent military confrontation. 

“The Great and Powerful Iranian People, who showed the world that the Israeli regime had NO CHOICE but to RUN to ‘Daddy’ to avoid being flattened by our Missiles,” he wrote, referring to U.S. intervention in striking Iranian nuclear sites.

The jab was a pointed reference to the longstanding U.S. and Israeli alliance and a not-so-subtle attempt to portray Israel as weak and dependent.

The post concluded with a clear threat.

“If Illusions lead to worse mistakes, Iran will not hesitate to unveil its Real Capabilities, which will certainly END any Delusion about the Power of Iran. Good will begets good will, and respect begets respect.”

IRAN’S KHAMENEI LAUNCHES BLISTERING ATTACK ON TRUMP AFTER MIDDLE EAST VISIT

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi took to X Friday with a message for President Trump. (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Araghchi’s broadside comes just days after the war between Iran and Israel ended and less than a week after U.S. airstrikes ordered by Trump destroyed Iran’s key nuclear sites of Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.

The 12-day conflict ended June 24 under a U.S.-brokered ceasefire, yet postwar tensions remain high. Khamenei declared that Tehran had beaten Israel and even dealt Washington a “slap” in the confrontation.

Trump rejected Khamenei’s victory claims as false and “foolish.” He promptly froze any talk of sanctions relief for Iran in response and claimed he personally stopped Khamenei from being killed during the conflict, writing on Truth Social that he refused to let U.S. or Israeli forces “terminate” the ayatollah despite knowing his secret location. 

A satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows damage at the Fordow enrichment site in Iran after U.S. strikes last weekend. (Maxar Technologies via AP)

Araghchi also rejected President Trump’s recent claim that new nuclear talks were imminent, telling reporters that “there are no negotiations underway” and that Tehran would make decisions “based on our national interests.”

According to Reuters, the foreign minister flatly denied any plans to meet with U.S. officials next week, contradicting Trump’s earlier remarks suggesting diplomacy was back on track.

“I wish the leadership of Iran would realize that you often get more with HONEY than you do with VINEGAR,” wrote Trump on Truth Social. “PEACE!!!”

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.