Standing Strong in Budapest Pride 2025: A Trade Union Statement
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On 28 June 2025, Budapest Pride marked a historic moment—not just for LGBTQ+ rights in Hungary, but for democracy itself. Despite an official ban, surveillance threats, fines up to €500, and prosecutions potentially carrying up to one year in prison for organisers, the streets filled with a record-breaking 180,000–200,000 proud and peaceful marchers—more than five times the attendance of recent years.
ETUCE Present in Solidarity
An ETUCE delegation including Jelmer Evers, European Director of ETUCE, and representatives from the AOb and GEW joined the Budapest Pride march in person, standing alongside Hungarian education trade unions, PSZ and PDSZ and others under pressure. Their presence carried a clear message: trade unions representing teachers and education personnel across Europe stand for equality, democracy, and freedom of expression and assembly. From a trade union perspective, Budapest Pride was not only a demonstration of solidarity—it was a stand for democratic freedoms, safe working environments, and the dignity of all education personnel and students.
Teachers Under Attack
While the Pride was peaceful, the broader political context remains deeply troubling. The Democratic Trade Union of Teachers (PDSZ) has come under renewed attack by government figures. JA day after the march, Katalin Balatoni, Commissioner of the Prime Minister, accused PDSZ of putting "Pride before protecting our children," painting them as radical ideologues aiming to infiltrate kindergartens and schools with "rainbow ideology." You can read the official answer of the PDSZ here.
Such dehumanising language is a dangerous and deliberate attempt to discredit teachers and the unions that represent them. These narratives not only distort the role of trade unions but also threaten the safety and freedom of professionals in education. ETUCE stands firmly with its Hungarian member organisations and reiterates democracy, diversity, equality and respect are not threats—they are the foundation of a democratic school culture and public education.
Unions and teachers have come under increasing pressure from Orban’s government. Critical teachers have been fired, anti-union legislation and directives have been introduced, financial and tax measures have been introduced to weaken unions, the introduction of increasingly strict and far right ideological curriculum control and lesson materials are some of the examples of the anti-democratic, anti-union and anti-teacher policies that have been introduced. Evers: “It's a huge struggle that our colleagues from PSZ and PDSZ have faced and are facing, and I have nothing but admiration for what they are doing under very difficult circumstances. ETUCE stands with them in their struggle for quality public education, our profession and democracy.”
What’s at Stake
- Freedom of speech and assembly which are foundational for teacher associations and unions to exist and fundamental pillars of democracy
- Teachers’ professional autonomy must be protected from authoritarian political interference. Indiscriminate firings of critical teachers is a strategy to intimidate the profession into silence and compliance.
- Safe and inclusive schools are essential to quality education and to making teaching attractive and quality education.
- Social dialogue cannot exist when trade unions and associations are vilified and silenced.
We Need Action
Budapest Pride 2025 was a powerful act of resistance—but it cannot stand alone. It is a disgrace that fundamental human and political rights can be abused with impunity and authoritarian rule to exist in the European Union. We either have a democratic rule of law, or we don’t. President Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission and EU Member States must take concrete action to hold Viktor Orbán's government accountable. Whether through legal mechanisms, EU conditionality, or stepping up Article 7 proceedings, silence is not an option. The systematic targeting of trade unions and minorities must be met with solidarity and pressure at the highest levels.