By: V4 Agency
The recently passed Hungarian legislation stipulates that it is up to the parents to decide how and in what manner their children are to be taught the otherwise difficult and complicated issue of sexuality. This is legislation that is about the protection of children and parents, emphasized Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Brussels on Thursday, ahead of a two-day meeting of EU state leaders.
In response to a journalist’s question, Viktor Orban said that it is an honour for Hungary if any prime minister or European Council president is interested in a Hungarian piece of legislation.
“I am happy to inform them that there is no such law regarding homosexuality. The new law is not about this at all, but applies to the upbringing and sexual education of children, regardless of content,” he said.
It’s always better to react to something after reading it first – this is the right order, he added.
The Hungarian Prime Minister emphasised that the regulation stipulates that it is up to the parents to decide how and in what manner their child is familiarised with the issue of sexuality.
“The state has a responsibility to ensure the conditions for parents to be able to exercise these rights. This law serves the protection of children and parents,” he underlined.
“I am a fierce defender of human rights. I was a freedom fighter under communism, when homosexuality was a punishable offense. I fought for freedom and rights, which means I was also fighting for the rights of homosexuals,” Mr Orban said.
This is not what this law is about; it is about the rights of children and parents, he stressed.
In response to another journalist’s question, Mr Orban emphasized that sports are global and that political issues should be handled with care. In some countries certain things are allowed, in others they are forbidden, he said.
“If we mix sports with politics, we exclude entire large swaths from the global era, specifically those who have a differing cultural position, and this is not right,” as he put it, explaining that sports must be separated from politics.
Regarding the Hungarian national football squad and their match against Germany on Wednesday, he emphasized that “we are proud of our team, a national team.”
“The fact that they fought with death-defying courage in Munich, under circumstances which were known and seen by everyone, makes us proud,” Mr Orban said. Their fortitude is encouraging for all Hungarians, the PM concluded.