European Trade Union Committee for Education

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By Jelmer Evers, European Director, ETUCE 

This weekend, I will travel to Budapest to participate in the Pride march because we need to stand in solidarity with all those who believe in dignity, equality, and human rights. And this concerns every citizen, trade unionist, teacher and academic in Europe. 

In Hungary today, fundamental democratic freedoms are under threat. The Pride ban is a frontal attack on freedom of speech and freedom of assembly. And it is an escalation of democratic backsliding in Hungary over the last decade. Teachers who dare to protest for decent salaries or quality education face dismissal. Civil society is being silenced. Education is no longer a space for critical thinking, but increasingly one of ideological control. In this climate, the very act of assembling peacefully and publicly — whether for teachers’ rights or LGBTQ+ rights — is being criminalised or restricted under vague pretexts. 

Pride in Budapest is more than a celebration of LGBTQ+ identities. It is a moment of peaceful, democratic expression in a country where those spaces are becoming fewer and more fragile. I am going to participate because the people of Hungary — LGBTQ+  activists, teachers, students, parents, and trade unionists — have shown immense courage in standing up for democracy, against authoritarianism, and for an inclusive, fair society. They deserve to know they are not alone. 

As the Director of ETUCE, I have heard first-hand from Hungarian colleagues how the government has attacked academic freedom and professional autonomy, stripped away social dialogue, attacked the right to strike, and excluded civil society from shaping society in general and the future of public education. The political climate has become hostile to diversity in all its forms. And yet, despite exhaustion and risk, many continue to resist — including through the simple but powerful act of joining Pride. 

Participation in such events is not only a right — it is a statement of values. We believe in a Europe where fundamental rights like freedom of assembly are vigourisly defended, schools are safe and democratic spaces for every child and teacher, regardless of who they are or whom they love. We believe in trade unionism as a force for inclusion and justice. If we lose these rights and values in one member state, they are under threat in the whole European Union. 

That is why I will walk peacefully through Budapest next week. Because silence would feel like complicity. And because solidarity, now more than ever, must be visible.