Politically, Orban’s inability to stop Pride from going ahead risks projecting weakness at a time when his Fidesz party is trailing in the polls. However, a heavy-handed police response could also deepen public dissatisfaction and further undermine his support.

With the support of the city’s liberal mayor, organizers of Budapest Pride took to the streets in defiance of Hungarian Prime Minster Viktor Orban’s effort to ban the event.

Record numbers of people marched in the Budapest Pride parade Saturday, defying a government ban that marked a major pushback against LGBTQ rights in the European Union.