Dutch criticism of Hungary over LGBT rights reeks of 'colonial' past - Orban

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte (right) speaks with his Hungarian counterpart Victor Orban. REUTERS/Michael Kooren/File Photo

Dutch criticism of Hungary over a new law on LGBT rights reeks of a moral supremacy rooted in a colonial past, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday (2 July), writes Gergely Szakacs, Reuters.

EU leaders last week challenged Orban over a new law banning Hungarian schools from using materials seen as promoting homosexuality, with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte telling him to respect LGBT rights or leave the bloc. Read more.

"This is a colonial approach," Orban told public radio on Friday. "They just give no thought to what they can and cannot say about another nation and the laws of another country."

Orban, who faces a parliamentary election next year, has grown increasingly radical on social policy in a self-proclaimed fight to safeguard what he says are Hungary's traditional Christian values from Western liberalism.

His government says the law, which comes into force next week, is not aimed at homosexuals but is about protecting children, whose parents should play the main role in educating them about sexuality.

The EU is pushing Orban to repeal the law - part of a wave of restrictive legislation that has also been directed at the media, the courts and migrants - and 17 of the 27 EU leaders signed a letter reaffirming their commitment to protecting gay rights.

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