The Hungarian national police confirmed to local media that Karácsony will soon be questioned as a suspect. The mayor reportedly exploited a gap in the law by registering the event as a municipal activity, thereby bypassing the need for a police permit. Since March, such events have been explicitly prohibited by the government under the guise of “child protection”.

The new law bans public gatherings that “promote or display LGBTQ+ content”. Under that legislation, police initially refused to grant permission for the annual Pride march in Budapest. However, Karácsony’s creative workaround meant the event could proceed without official police approval.

“I am now officially a suspect,” Karácsony wrote on Facebook on Thursday. “If that is the price we have to pay for our freedom — and that of others — then I wear it with pride.”

Estimates suggest that as many as 200,000 people took part in this year’s Pride march, making it the largest edition to date. While police had previously pledged not to prosecute participants, the national investigative bureau is reportedly continuing its probe into the organisers. Karácsony is the first to be formally named as a suspect.

The mayor had already stated that he takes full responsibility for the event's organisation. “I am prepared to defend myself in court,” he told local media.

The case once again highlights growing tensions between progressive local governments and the national-conservative administration of Viktor Orbán, which continues to face international criticism over its anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.