Thousands of Hungarians braved the unbearable heat and took part in the annual event Pride Parade today in Budapest, protesting the policies of Viktor Orbán’s government towards the LGBTI+ community.

Hungarian government pushes conservative-Christian agenda in 2021 forbid the public “display and advertisement of homosexuality” to under-18s, an event strongly criticized by human rights organizations and the European Union.

“Our main concern right now is keeping the community together and providing a space where everyone can live as they are and be around people who support them, regardless of the political situation we’re all experiencing,” a spokesperson said. of the Pride Parade, Mate Hindvegi. “After the law was passed, the number of participants in the Pride Parade almost doubled,” he pointed out.

Participants carried rainbow flags, danced and sang as they marched through the center of the Hungarian capital. Neither the organizers nor the government announced a number, but eyewitnesses estimated it to be around 10,000 people

Television ads for the Parade were only allowed to air late at night but most channels did not take the risk of playing them, according to the Telex.hu news website.

On Friday, the embassies of the US, Germany and 36 other countries urged Hungary to protect the rights of LGBTI+ people and repeal laws that allow discrimination against them.

The US ambassador David Pressman and many other diplomats participated in the parade today.