White Pride Meets Gay Pride in Budapest

Burnapest officially launches with a recap of last weekend's clash between the spandex-clad supporters of gay pride and the fuzzy-scalped guardians of "traditional Hungarian values."

Budapest's Pride Parade coincided with the city's 12th annual LGBT film and culture festival, and there was even a high-ranking government official, Gabor Szetey, there to come out of the closet. The parade was relatively modest; an MTI story estimated 2,000 people marched. There were a couple of floats blasting Euro house, some rainbow flags and a large contingent of conservatively dressed supporters meandering down Budapest's main avenues.

Of course, at least 20 police cars, several police wagons, a mobile command center, and countless foot patrols followed. Unfortunately, Budapest's finest, though prepared for the worst, failed to stop a reported barrage of eggs, bottles and sandbags from injuring at least eight merry marchers.

The attackers consisted of the usual suspects: skinheads, fascists and toothless old hags. What was most disturbing, however, was the reaction of onlookers who just happened to be having a coffee on the sidewalk.

One man remarked, "How can they do this when the country is facing so many problems already." He added that Hungary was a Christian country and there was already enough corruption, greed and criminality to repent for. The last thing the country needed, he continued, was to add unbridled sodomy to the list.

The guy probably didn't want to hear that Jesus would most likely side with Sodomites than sloped-brow pipe-wielding protesters near Baross Utca.

To the credit of State Secretary of Justice and Law Enforcement Ferenc Kondorosi, the police did come out in force and they are now committed to finding and calling to account all those who committed a crime.

I'm sure the department's most senior inspectors are out combing neighborhoods right now, knocking on the doors of known rabble rousers and impounding rotten eggs by the dozen. Good luck. I guess changing the attitudes of a "Christian" nation may take more than a billy club and a badge.