Parliament votes for Cabinet members to take part in banned Pride march in Hungary

The Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, has requested that a delegation from the Cabinet attend the banned pride march in Budapest at the end of next month. Government parties VVD, NSC, and BBB helped this proposal from Volt to reach a majority. The PVV was the only coalition party to vote against the motion.

Pride events are banned in Hungary, with people being fined 500 euros for participating in it. The ban was initiated by Fidesz, the radical right-wing political party of the country’s Prime Minister, Viktor Orban. It was reported in March that this ban was accepted in parliament. Despite this, preparations for the annual event have continued in the country.

For this reason, Volt MP Marieke Koekkoek thinks that the Netherlands should support the Pride organization by sending members of the Cabinet to the march. “With this, you are saying: this our Europe. A pride will always take place because these are our European values.”

Defense minister Ruben Brekelmans, who replaced the foreign minister Caspar Veldkamp in parliament, thinks that Koekkoek’s call is too early. He thinks it would be better to wait for the permit for a Pride event in Budapest, which has not yet been applied for.

“We shall, as the Cabinet, announce how and what we will participate in when this is finalized. If we speak out very loudly about this now, it will also play into the hands of Fidesz in a certain way." The Cabinet already condemned the banning of Pride events in the past.

Volt’s motion was supported by SP, GroenLinks-PvdA, Partij voor de Dieren, D66, NSC, CDA, VVD, and BBB. According to the NOS, several MPs have stated their intention to participate in the march next month.