Lawmakers in Hungary are expected to vote on a constitutional amendment today (April 14) which will codify the government’s recent ban on Pride and allow authorities to use facial recognition technology to identify anyone who flouts the law.

Disturbingly, prime minister Viktor Orbán, leader of the right-wing populist party Fidesz, claims the amendment will “protect children” and safeguard their physical, mental and moral development.

After Hungarian lawmakers fast-tracked a law that banned Pride last month, thousands of people have since taken to the streets in weekly protests against the move. In addition, 22 European embassies in Hungary, including those of the UK, France and Germany, issued a joint statement saying they were deeply concerned that the legislation would result in “restrictions on the right of peaceful assembly and the freedom of expression”.

The organisers of Budapest Pride, which regularly attracts tens of thousands of people, are still determined to go ahead with this year’s march on June 28. “This is not child protection, this is fascism,” they said in a statement last month.

The proposed amendment also seeks to enshrine the recognition of only two sexes, providing a constitutional basis for denying the gender identities of some in Hungary. The amendment will also allow the government to temporarily suspend the Hungarian citizenship of dual nationals if they are deemed to pose a threat to the country’s security or sovereignty.

This government isn’t just dismantling democracy brick by brick, it’s now going at it with a bulldozer

Human rights group the Hungarian Helsinki Committee has attacked the new proposals. “These laws represent a significant escalation in the government’s efforts to suppress dissent, weaken human rights protection and consolidate its grip on power,” it said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the centrist opposition party Momentum likened the proposals to restrictions in Russia. It’s not an unfounded comparison: like Vladimir Putin, Orbán has styled himself as a champion of traditional ‘family values’ and introduced policies that include blocking same-sex couples from adopting children and barring any mention of LGBTQ+ issues in school education programmes.

Momentum has called on Hungarians to join it in a blockade of the country’s parliament on Monday, in a bid to prevent lawmakers from voting in the legislation. “Let’s collectively prevent them from leading us down the Putin road and depriving us of our freedom,” it said in a post on social media.

“This government isn’t just dismantling democracy brick by brick, it’s now going at it with a bulldozer,” Ákos Hadházy, a lawmaker and campaigner, said at a recent rally. “We are here because we need to act fast to get ahead and stop it.”