BRUSSELS, April 21 – Hungary’s outgoing government violated European law with rules prohibiting or restricting access to LGBTQ content, which stigmatise and marginalise gay and trans people, the European Court of Justice ruled on Tuesday.
The ruling could provide a test for the future of social policy under Hungary’s new leader Peter Magyar, who ended Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s 16-year rule in a landslide victory in an April 12 election.
LGBTQ rights were eroded under Orban, who last year oversaw a ban on Pride marches and let police use facial recognition cameras to identify who attended. Magyar, a former official in Orban’s right-wing Fidesz party, campaigned on support for equality but has avoided taking a clear stance on LGBTQ rights.
The European court said Hungary had acted in breach of Article 2 of the EU’s Treaty, which sets out the fundamental values of the 27-member bloc. It also found the Hungarian legislation breached the freedom to provide and receive services, as well as data protection laws. REUTERS