Hungarian lawmakers have approved a raft of constitutional amendments which will limit the rights of LGBTQ+ people and dual nationals.
The amendments, which the government says are aimed at protecting children’s physical and moral development, will enable it to ban public LGBTQ+ marches and public gatherings.
The amendments were approved on Monday in a 140-21 vote.
Hundreds gathered outside parliament to protest against the move, which rights campaigners have labelled a “key moment in Hungary’s shift toward illiberal governance”.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose Fidesz party voted through the bill, vowed that an “Easter cleanup” of his critics was coming.
The amendments will also enable the government to temporarily suspend the citizenship of any Hungarian dual nationals who are deemed a threat to the country’s security or sovereignty.
Fidesz has suggested that the move is aimed at those who finance “bogus NGOs, bought politicians and the so-called independent media” from abroad – leading some to speculate it is, in part, intended to target Hungarian-American philanthropist George Soros.
The amendments come after a law was passed last month banning LGBTQ+ pride marches on alleged grounds they are harmful to children.
Orban praised the legislation at the time, saying: “We won’t let woke ideology endanger our kids.”
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