‘It’s not a threat’: Hungary to hold anti-LGBT law referendum after EU legal action

Hungary’s national spokesman, Zoltan Kovacs, defended the country’s controversial anti-LGBT law which will now face a referendum, weeks after the EU launches legal action against the country.

Speaking to BBC Newsnight’s Emily Maitlis, Hungary’s Secretary of State for International Communication and Relations Zoltan Kovacs said “the EU is coming into areas where it has no mandate."

Hungary’s new law - which limits the teaching of homosexuality and transgender issues to under 18s - will face a referendum in the new year.

Viktor Orbán’s government calls it a 'child protection law' and says it keeps sexual propaganda out of schools, TV shows and adverts.

Critics say the law conflates homosexuality and paedophilia, and the EU has strongly condemned it as discriminatory and launched legal action against Hungary.

You can watch Newsnight on BBC Two at 22:30 on weekdays. Catch up on iPlayer, subscribe to the programme on YouTube and follow it on Twitt

  • World