US ambassador condemns Kövér's refusal to allow the opposition's LGBTQ-related conference to be held in Parliament

Hungarian opposition parties DK, MSZP, Momentum and Párbeszéd wanted to hold a conference on LGBTQ-related themes in the Hungarian parliament on Tuesday afternoon, but House Speaker László Kövér refused to grant them space, citing the need to protect the dignity of the parliament.

The venue was therefore moved to the building of the Central European University (CEU) on Nádor Street, where David Pressman, the US Ambassador to Budapest, was also present, along with a number of other ambassadors.

“It is beyond extraordinary to see elected members of a European Union member state’s parliament denied access to parliament itself because they wish to discuss human rights.”

– Pressman reacted to Kövér's decision just before the conference.

DK had submitted their request for a meeting room at the end of July, but the answer from the Speaker came only four days before the event, on Friday morning. "I inform you that I am not in a position to grant your request for a meeting room on 3 September 2024, in view of my obligation under Article 2 (1) of Act XXXVI of 2012."

According to the referenced paragraph, the Speaker's duties include ensuring that the Parliament's rights are exercised, safeguarding the reputation of the institution, maintaining the order and security of Parliament and organising its work.

Given that Parliament is not due to reconvene until the end of September, and that there are no committee meetings scheduled either, the problem could hardly be that there were no available rooms in the entire building. "We believe that the decision was politically motivated. It is a good indication of the government's attitude towards LGBTQ rights and the LGBTQ community," DK MP László Sebián-Petrovszki, who organised the conference, told Telex.

This is not the first time that László Kövér has refused to allow an LGBTQ-related event into the Parliament building, citing the need to protect its dignity. Momentum's group leader, Dávid Bedő, organised a conference on fundamental human rights on 21 June, which was also attended by US Ambassador David Pressman. At the time, László Kövér sent the exact same reply.