Tens of thousands of protesters marched through Hungary's capital on Saturday as a banned LGBTQ+ rights rally swelled into a mass anti-government demonstration, in one of the biggest shows of opposition to Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets for Budapest Pride on Saturday in defiance of attempts by the government of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to ban the event.

Politically, Orban’s inability to stop Pride from going ahead risks projecting weakness at a time when his Fidesz party is trailing in the polls. However, a heavy-handed police response could also deepen public dissatisfaction and further undermine his support.