Budapest’s escalating “war of flags” has taken another turn after unknown people removed Hungarian national flags from Erzsébet Bridge and threw them into the Danube, days after Pride banners met the same fate.
The political circus surrounding the flags comes ahead of the first Budapest Pride since former prime minister Viktor Orbán’s electoral defeat.
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The battle over flags, “Palestinian” and UK national flags, has been ongoing in the UK’s streets for some time. But the Liberal Democrats (“Lib Dems”) have recently taken it to a new level by taking the flag fight to the High Court.
It’s surprising that the judge entertained it, but on 23 June, the Lib Dem-led Oxfordshire County Council secured a High Court injunction against five people to ban them from unauthorised placement of St. George’s Cross and Union Jack flags on public highways in the county. The court granted the application to stop the Raise the Colours campaign group from raising national flags in public spaces, citing safety risks, trespass and community intimidation caused by the flag-hanging activities.
As The Telegraph pointed out, why would anyone feel intimidated or distressed by the flag of the country they were either born in or have actively chosen to move to?
We would add, who paid the Council’s legal costs? Did it come out of public funds?
As one can imagine, the Lib Dems’ move is not popular with the public, and we hope to see a lot more national flags flying in Oxfordshire from now on.
A couple of days after the Lib Dems’ election defeating move, the following article appeared in the Hungarian Conservative.
National Flags Become Latest Casualty in Hungary’s ‘War of Flags’ Ahead Budapest Pride
By Joakim Scheffer, as published by the Hungarian Conservative on 25 June 2026
Hungary’s capital has become embroiled in a bizarre war of flags after both Pride flags and, days later, Hungarian national flags were thrown into the Danube from Budapest’s Erzsébet Bridge. The latest incident prompted Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony to announce that both the national flag and the Pride flag would fly from the bridge during this weekend’s Budapest Pride march.
Responding to the latest developments in the ever-escalating story, in an ironic Facebook post on Wednesday evening, Karácsony suggested that members of the hard-right Our Homeland (Mi Hazánk) party had effectively proposed making Budapest Pride a national holiday by decorating the bridge with Hungarian flags.
‘The national flag flies on Budapest’s bridges during national holidays. Now, if I understand correctly, a few kind people, by decorating Erzsébet Bridge with flags, are proposing that Budapest Pride should also become a national holiday. A kind gesture,’ he wrote.
Calling Pride “a true celebration of freedom,” the mayor announced that both the Hungarian national flag and the Pride flag would remain on the bridge during the march, scheduled for 27 June.
The statement came after videos circulated on social media showing unknown people removing Hungarian national flags from the bridge and throwing several of them into the Danube. The flags had been installed earlier that day by the youth wing of Our Homeland, which said it wanted to replace the Pride banners previously removed from the bridge.
The party announced it would file a police complaint over the incident, arguing that the removal of the national flags amounted to the desecration of a national symbol.
The dispute began last weekend, on 20 June, when Budapest City Hall installed so-called Progress Pride flags on Erzsébet Bridge as part of Pride Month celebrations. Less than 24 hours later, videos showed a man removing several of the banners and throwing them into the Danube.
On 22 June, the Mayor’s Office filed a police report, arguing that the flags had been deliberately vandalised. Police later identified and questioned a 58-year-old man from Mogyoród on suspicion of criminal damage after he admitted removing the flags. Investigators allege he removed 40 flags, causing damage estimated at HUF 2,584,450 (around $8,000).
Speaking to Hungarian media after his release, the suspect – who requested anonymity – said he was “proud” of his actions and would “do exactly the same tomorrow.” He said he had acted according to his personal convictions and had decided to remove the flags “for the future of my children and our children,” adding that Pride flags had no place either on Erzsébet Bridge or on the walls of Budapest City Hall.
Deputy leader Előd Novák announced that the party would present the suspect with its “Public Courage Award” during the Family Pride March on 11 July. Novák also pledged to cover any compensation imposed on the man and launched a fundraising campaign, while criticising what he described as the municipality’s “overpriced” Pride flags.
The 2026 Budapest Pride will be symbolic, with or without the political circus surrounding it. It will be the first such march since former prime minister Viktor Orbán’s electoral defeat and the end of his sixteen years in power, a period characterised by strong opposition to LGBTQ and gender ideology.
Last year, the Orbán government moved to restrict assemblies deemed to promote homosexuality or gender transition to minors, with the aim of banning Pride. Although police prohibited the march under that legislation, Mayor Karácsony organised it as a municipal event, circumventing the legal ban.
As a result, the 2025 Budapest Pride became the largest in Hungary’s history, as well as one of the largest anti-government demonstrations of the Orbán era. Many considered it a clear sign of weakening central authority during the 16 years of Fidesz–KDNP rule under Viktor Orbán and believed it foreshadowed the party’s defeat in the April 2026 election.
The new government, led by Prime Minister Péter Magyar and the Tisza Party, has adopted a more permissive approach towards LGBTQ rights than its predecessor. While no legislative changes have yet been proposed to ease the regulatory framework in this area, Magyar has repeatedly stated since taking office that “no Hungarian should face discrimination because of whom they love.”
About the Author
Joakim Scheffer graduated from the University of Szeged with a Master’s degree in International Relations. Before joining Hungarian Conservative, he worked as an editor at the foreign policy desk of Hungarian daily Magyar Nemzet and serves as the editor of Eurasia magazine.
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