RECLAIM

RECLAIM is hiring an EU Legal Advisor (full-time, Brussels) to defend the rule of law and + LGBTQI rights.

📆 Apply by 22 August — but don’t wait, we may hire earlier!

🔗 Job description and how to apply:
lnkd.in/euBJTpj6

We hope this is enough for @michaelmcgratheu.bsky.social @hadjalahbib.bsky.social @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu to finally react ⌛

#LGBTIQ+ #RuleOfLaw #Hungary #BudapestPride
(3/3)

They condemn Hungary’s Pride ban as a breach of EU values: human dignity, freedom and equality.

Importantly, they 𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝘂𝘀𝗵 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗻. This includes, interim measures, infringement procedures and funding conditionality.

(2/3)

Declaration of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden We are deeply concerned by recent legislative and constitutional amendments infringing on the fundamental rights of LGBTIQ+ persons which were adopted by the Hungarian Parliament on 18 March and 14 Ap...

𝟮𝟬 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗕𝘂𝗱𝗮𝗽𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗚𝗕𝗧𝗜𝗤+ 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 🌈

An overwhelming majority of 20 Member States showed their solidarity with Hungarian democracy and the rights of LGBTIQ+ people.

www.government.nl/documents/di...

🧵(1/3)

Link to PDF letter: 55ed8d3c-c2a4-4bd9-a066-eda67d261bad.usrfiles.com/ugd/55ed8d_e...

🔴JOINT LETTER from 24 LGBTIQ+ and Human rights NGOs: Urgent call on Commission to take immediate action on Hungarian Pride Ban
The Commission alone has the power to act in time. Without intervention, the risk of irreparable harm, including imprisonment and organisational dissolution, is imminent.

🔴 BREAKING: Hungary constitutionalizes blatant discrimination against LGBTI+ persons. Among other things:
• Declares “a person is either a man or a woman"
• Legitimizes the Pride ban (and ban on LGBTI+ events)
• Strips citizenship from critics
The EU must act. #LGBTIQ #Hungary #HumanRights #EU

Indeed, @stevepeers.bsky.social, the opinion from Advocate General Ćapeta will be published on June 5th.

To the LGBTQ+ community in Hungary: You are not alone. We stand with you, and we won’t back down! See you for Pride in Budapest. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

🔴PRIDE BANNED. Fascism Returns. Democracy Burning in Hungary.
It happened yesterday.
A rushed bill (48h to pass).
In the guise of 'child protection' from LGBTQ+ content.
Allows facial profiling of 'offenders' - & soon in any public space?
Fines up to €500.
#lgbtq+ #humanrights #eupolitics #hungary

Illegitimate laws won't stop us

𝗙𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀:
•Amendment to the Freedom of Assembly Law: lnkd.in/gUrkF5yC
• Constitutional Reform Proposal:
lnkd.in/gnTw6QvP

Last night, Orbán’s party, Fidesz introduced a radical amendment to Hungary’s freedom of assembly law to ban Pride events, threatening participants with facial recognition surveillance and heavy fines. 🔊 Action under Article 7 is long overdue before Hungary succumbs to Orbán’s authoritarianism!

How many more attacks before the Commission acts? It’s time to launch infringement proceedings!

𝗙𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝗮𝘄𝘀:
· Bulgaria - ITN Bill (in Bulgarian): www.parliament.bg/bg/bills/ID/...
· Bulgaria - Revival Bill (in Bulgarian): www.parliament.bg/bg/bills/ID/...

When the EU fails to act, the far-right takes note and escalates. In the past month, 2 anti-LGBTQI+ bills in Bulgaria to:
🛑Ban LGBTQI+ content in public spaces
🛑Criminalize medical professionals for gender-affirming care
🛑Codify a de-facto ban on legal gender recognition for trans persons

MAJORITY OF EU MEMBER STATES TAKE A STAND AGAINST HUNGARY’S RUSSIA-STYLE LAW In our previous issue, I spoke with Reclaim’s Esther Martinez about their campaign to rally EU member states against Viktor Orbán’s Russia-style Sovereignty Protection Act – the same law that created the Sovereignty Protection Office. The key question was how many countries would join the European Commission’s lawsuit against Hungary’s repressive legislation. Now that the deadline for member states to intervene has passed, Reclaim’s latest press release provides a near-final count: “Fourteen EU Member States, Norway and the European Parliament have formally intervened in the European Commission’s lawsuit against Hungary’s anti-NGO law, marking the largest legal mobilization against shrinking democratic space in EU history. Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Estonia, Lithuania, Ireland, Spain, and Portugal have officially requested to join the proceedings, and two more governments are expected to back the case when the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) holds its hearing.” This means that a majority of the 27-member bloc is taking a stand. Esther is still hopeful that Malta and Austria will join, with the latter’s government having been sworn in just two days ago, after the deadline for member states to join. One major omission so far is France. Despite its historical role as a champion of European human rights and freedoms, it has chosen not to take part. France has increasingly played both sides when it comes to Orbán, and French companies have benefited from Hungary’s regime.

🇪🇺💪14 EU countries, Norway + the European Parliament are standing against Orbán's Russia-style foreign agents law. Huge thanks to @reclaim-eu.bsky.social's Esther Martinez for leading the campaign & to all showing solidarity with 🇭🇺 civil society and journalists.

🔗Source: vsquare.org/orbans-secre...

Renaming the EU, Dismantling the Commission: For What Polish and Hungarian Illiberals Seek U.S. Backing - VSquare.org The Trump administration's most influential think tank, The Heritage Foundation, is receiving proposals from illiberal forces in Poland and Hungary on how to shape the future of the European Union. Th...

The Heritage Foundation is now planning to destroy the EU - with the help of Polish and Hungarian partners

vsquare.org/heritage-fou...

Today, RECLAIM attended the Launch of the 2024 Europe Press Freedom Report, from the Safety of Journalists Platform. Threats to independent media follow a clear pattern—intimidation, disinformation, legal harassment, and violence—all warning signs of democratic decline. The time to act is now!

We did it! We built the largest lawsuit to defend civic space in EU history! 15 countries + the European Parliament have joined the case against Hungary’s foreign agents law targeting dissident voices. A major step for democracy, but the fight is not over. Oral hearings are next. Stay tuned.

So far, 14 EU Member States have joined the lawsuit—Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, Ireland, Spain, and Portugal—along with Norway and the European Parliament.

The deadline is in 4 hours.

Lithuania joins the lawsuit against Orbán’s foreign agents law! The country has made it clear: European leaders who flirt with Moscow have no place in the EU. By joining the case Lithuania stands alongside its Baltic neighbour, Estonia in defending European values.
Well done, Lithuania!

Germany joins the case against Orbán’s Foreign Agents Law!

Despite turbulent times at home, Germany’s responsibility to Europe remains unchanged. A late joiner, but not absent. When the rule of law and European values are at stake, Germany takes a stand. 👏

The deadline to join the SPO lawsuit is in two days, and we have not yet heard from France and Spain.

While I certainly applaud EU Commission’s decision to lodge infringement action before CJEU, it beggars belief no application for interim measures has been filed to date. Meanwhile those defending EU’s values and fighting against industrial scale misappropriation of EU funds are viciously targeted

Government repression of activists working with international institutions was once just a UN concern—something only authoritarian states did. Now, it’s taking root in the EU. In Hungary, anti-corruption NGOs can’t work with the EU without being branded traitors. Belgium won’t stand for this:

Finland, one of the world’s freest places for journalists, won’t stay silent won’t stay silent as Orbán’s Sovereignty Protection Office targets journalists. Democracy survives only when journalists can report freely.

Thank you, Finland, for joining the lawsuit.

Just months ago, Poland was battling democratic backsliding. Today, it’s leading Europe’s charge against autocracy.

Meanwhile, France—Europe's self-proclaimed guardian of human rights—stays conspicuously silent

Our thoughts for The French Dispatch:

https://lnkd.in/enK-bhxM

Poland joins the Commission’s lawsuit against Orbán’s Foreign Agents Law—showing that the real threat to democracy isn’t Brussels, as Orbán claims, but those who erode it from within and serve Putin’s agenda.

𝗗𝘇𝗶𝗲̨𝗸𝘂𝗷𝗲𝗺𝘆, 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝘀𝗸𝗮! 💓

𝗘𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗮 𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗔𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗢𝗿𝗯á𝗻 𝗦𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗻𝘁𝘆 𝗟𝗮𝘄

Foreign agent laws silence civil society & pull countries into Kremlin’s grip. EU can't be passive as Orbán fuels Putin’s agenda

Democracy must also be defended in court

Estonia chose a side: others must follow

Thank you Min @tsahkna.bsky.social!

𝗦𝘄𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻

In 2018, #Sweden stood alone with the Commission against Orbán’s first foreign agents law. Today, litigation against anti-NGO crackdowns is no longer taboo.

We owe a profound debt to Sweden for consistently championing democracy and the judicial protection of rights.