"They are accusing me of violating the right of assembly, which is completely absurd, since the municipal government of the capital has no right to assemble," he said in a video posted on Facebook.

The metropolitan council has the right to hold any event it wants within its own public spaces, he said. Instead of the civil group that usually organises Budapest Pride, the event was organised by the metropolitan council, he added.

Karacsony said that hundreds of thousands of people took part in the event and "made a statement that we cannot be intimidated and our most fundamental rights cannot be restricted".

"For fifteen years we have been living in a system that hates all social autonomy, hates small or even larger islands of freedom, and hates the capital's local government, among other things," he added.

Financial restrictions had been used to try to prevent the capital's administration from having a free hand in using the city's own resources, and "now they are also trying to prevent the mayor from remaining free," Karacsony said.

He said that in a system where the law protects power rather than people, it was inevitable that sooner or later the moment would come when criminal law would be used against him.

The investigation and restrictions on the right of assembly, as well as the current bill before parliament that threatens the mayor with prison if he does not approve "the pocketing of the city's money", show that "the system has reached its breaking point", he said. 

"They cannot bear the fact that there are still free people and free local governments in Hungary," he said, adding that he wore the indictment as a badge of honour.

"I'm proud that I took every political risk for the freedom of my city, and I stand proudly before the court to defend my own freedom and that of my city," he added.
 

Source: MTI – Hungary’s national news agency since 1881. While MTI articles are usually factual, some may contain political bias, and readers should be aware that such content does not reflect the position of XpatLoop, which is neutral and independent.

Since the goal of XpatLoop is to keep readers well briefed, right across the spectrum of opinions, MTI items are shared to ensure readers are aware of all narratives within the local media.

XpatLoop believes in empowering readers to form their own views through complete and comprehensive coverage. To facilitate this XpatLoop has a balanced range of news partners, as you can see when you surf around XpatLoop.com

*********************************************************************************************

You're very welcome to comment, discuss and enjoy more stories via our Facebook page: 

Facebook.com/XpatLoopNews + via XpatLoop’s groups: Budapest Expats / Expats Hungary

You can subscribe to our newsletter here: XpatLoop.com/Newsletters

Showcase Your Business to Expats in the Loop:

As an independent portal we’re grateful to all commercial supporters who help keep you in the loop with fresh insights and inspiration. Do you want your business to reach tens of thousands of potential high-value expat customers? If so please contact us here.