According to a politician from the right-wing party Our Homeland (Mi Hazánk), “it is understandable” that a man threw LGBTQ Pride flags off the Elizabeth Bridge in Budapest, Hungary. Video of the man’s actions went viral over the weekend.
“It is understandable if the man in the street responded to the provocation by removing the rainbow rags,” wrote Előd Novák, who said he would pay for any fine the man receives for the action.
Kifizetem a szivárványos rongyok eltávolításáért járó bírságot
Budapest mindenkié! – ezért sem fogadható el, hogy kisajátítsa az Erzsébet hidat egy párt vagy bármilyen politikai mozgalom, mint pl. az LMBTQSTB-lobbi a zászlóival. Érthető, ha a provokációra az utca embere a… pic.twitter.com/jgbKup6SH2
— Novák Előd (@novak_elod) June 22, 2026“Budapest belongs to everyone! That is why it is not acceptable for a party or any political movement to appropriate the Elizabeth bridge, such as the LGBTQSTB lobby with its flags. It is understandable if the man on the street responded to the provocation by removing the rainbow rags, although I prefer their place in the trash,” he stated on social media.
In his post, he also admonished Mayor Gergely Karácsony, stating, “he should have spent the Budapest people’s money on potholes, not on homosexual and other deviant propaganda. Despite my complaint, the mayor held the banned Pride Parade last year without punishment. If our compatriot who expresses his opinion should pay a fine for the removal of worthless rags and the restoration of order, I will take over his punishment.”
🇭🇺🏳️🌈LGBT Pride flags were ripped down from the famed Elizabeth Bridge in Budapest and tossed in the river one by one.
The flags were put up right before a Pride Parade scheduled for June 27 in the Hungarian city.
Many conservatives have been angered over the flags, which… pic.twitter.com/NJbRl6FlHC
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) June 22, 2026Novák then decried that a Pride Parade will be hosted in Budapest on June 27, which he blamed Mayor Gergely Karácsony for.
Karácsony has filed a police complaint over the man throwing the flags into the Danube River, which was captured on film. Karácsony had the flags put up over the weekend, with a number of conservatives decrying the move.
Under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, LGBT activities were sharply restricted in Hungary, including in education. The Pride Parade was also banned in Budapest by the government, although it still ran without interference. Under Prime Minister Peter Magyar, Hungary is expected to shift to a more pro-LGBT stance.
