Paris' LGBTQ+ community and its allies marched on the French capital's streets under the sweltering sun on Saturday (June 28) for a Pride march, with many slamming Hungary's decision to ban a similar march in Budapest.

As temperatures in Paris were expected to soar to 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) on Saturday, supporters of LGBT rights donned rainbow flags and paraded to lively music for the annual march.

Tens of thousands of LGBTQ+ rights supporters are expected to attend the Budapest Pride march on Saturday, defying a police ban as the event has become a symbol of the years-long struggle between Hungary's nationalist government and civil society.

"I think it sucks for us to be banned from doing so. It’s our right, we have the right to march, we have the right to protest, especially since these are peaceful marches. We’re not hurting anyone," Paris marcher Lia, who did not give her last name, said.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government has gradually curtailed the rights of the LGBTQ+ community in the past decade, and its lawmakers passed a law in March that allows for the ban of Pride, citing the need to protect children.

Opponents see the move as part of a wider crackdown on democratic freedoms ahead of a general election next year when Orban will face a strong opposition challenger.

“This is something that makes me ask questions because I can see traces of Russia in this action," said Nikolai Scherbakov, a Russian exiled in France since the onset of the Ukraine war in 2022. "It’s frightening, it’s not good. I hope democracy will win in the end.”

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

PARIS, FRANCE (JUNE 28, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all)

1. STREET FULL OF PRIDE MARCHERS

2. SHIRTLESS MARCHER

3. VARIOUS OF MARCHERS DANCING

4. VARIOUS OF FLOATS PASSING BY

5. PEOPLE HOLDING SIGNS, FLOAT IN DISTANCE

6. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE ON FLOAT

7. VARIOUS OF MUSICIANS PLAYING MUSIC

8. DANCER DANCING

9. MUSICIANS PLAYING

10. LGBTQ+ FLAG

11. ADULT FILM ACTRESS, KHALY OFF, SPEAKING WITH FRIENDS

12. (SOUNDBITE) (French) ADULT FILM ACTRESS, KHALY OFF, WHO IDENTIFIES AS PANSEXUAL, SAYING:

“I support the fact that we can love who we want, to feel like who we want to be and to not be judged. I think it’s important to be here today and to stand here to represent a lot of people in France who do not have the chance to represent themselves, who do not have the chance to come out of the closet and be here today. I think it’s important to bring more and more people here every year so we can be heard more and more.”

13. MARCHERS BLOWING KISS

14. MARCHERS STANDING

15. MARCHERS WAVING TO CAMERA AND HOLDING FAN

16. SIGN READING (French): “Solidarity with Budapest Pride”

17. (SOUNDBITE) (French) 22-YEAR-OLD PRIDE MARCHER, LIA, NO LAST NAME GIVEN, SAYING:

“I live in Dijon, and they also tried to ban the Pride march this year, but we still went through with it. I think it sucks for us to be banned from doing so. It’s our right, we have the right to march, we have the right to protest, especially since these are peaceful marches. We’re not hurting anyone.”

18. MARCHER WITH WHITE MAKEUP BLOWING BUBBLES

19. MARCHERS DRESSED AS NUNS

20. VARIOUS OF INFLATABLE BALLOON ON TOP OF MARCHERS

21. SHIRTLESS MARCHER WITH TEXT ON BODY READING (French): “15,000,000 queer Russians in prison”

22. RUSSIAN MARCHERS

23. (SOUNDBITE) (French) 29-YEAR-OLD RUSSIAN EXILED IN FRANCE, NIKOLAI SCHERBAKOV, SAYING:

“This (Hungary banning Budapest Pride march) is something that makes me ask questions because I can see traces of Russia in this action, because for me, this is a repetition of actions done in Russia long ago. And so it’s frightening, it’s frightening, it’s not good. I hope democracy will win in the end.”

24. BEVERAGES IN CONTAINERS OF ICE / VOLUNTEERS DISTRIBUTING COLD BEVERAGES

25. SIGNS FOR LGBTQ+ ORGANISATIONS

26. VARIOUS OF MARCHERS FANNING THEMSELVES

27. (SOUNDBITE) (French) 29-YEAR-OLD RUSSIAN EXILED IN FRANCE, NIKOLAI SCHERBAKOV, SAYING:

“This heat is really unbearable, I hope I would be safe against the sun with the sunscreen, with my hat like this, and voila. I will take pauses, too.”

28. PEOPLE AND FLOAT ON STREET

29. VARIOUS OF DRAG QUEENS ON FLOAT

30. (SOUNDBITE) (French) 33-YEAR-OLD ADMINISTRATIVE SECRETARY, ALICIA LEMAIRE, SAYING:

“I think on the international level, our rights are diminishing more and more. I’m married to a woman, we had a child, unfortunately, I have to go through the adoption process to officially be her mother because we did not undergo IVF. There are plenty of things that should still evolve and improve for us, and I think it’s very hard at the moment, especially for transgender people.”

31. DRAG QUEEN ABOARD FLOAT DANCING AND SAYING (English): “Happy Pride, fellas.”

32. PEOPLE ON STREET