Sixty members of the European Parliament have called on the European Commission to be “visibly present” at next month’s Budapest Pride, intensifying pressure on Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to interfere with the national politics of Hungary.
In a joint letter, published by Euractiv, the MEPs express “deep disappointment” at reports that von der Leyen’s office had instructed commissioners not to attend the Pride event in Budapest that was banned by the Hungarian government in March to safeguard children’s rights.
The letter, signed by lawmakers from five different political groups, accuses the Commission of “failing to fulfil its duties” and displaying “weakness and a lack of solidarity” with Europe’s LGBT community. They urge von der Leyen to “reconsider” and “ensure that the Commission is visibly present at Budapest Pride.”
Unsurprisingly, the political groups initiating the letter were all left of center. Signatories are 23 MEPs from the Socialists & Democrats (S&D), 21 from the Greens, 9 from the Left, 6 from Renew, and one—Ireland’s Maria Walsh—from von der Leyen’s own European People’s Party (EPP).
Those who have signed the letter include extremist left-wing figures, including Ilaria Salis, the Italian Antifa extremist, and Tineke Strik, the rapporteur for Hungary.
It is unclear if these politicians would support interference in their own national sovereign policies from Brussels or just in countries where conservative governments are in power by the will of their people.
