Hungarian move to restrict LGBT youth content slammed by EU partners

A change to Hungarian law that would restrict young people's access to information about LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) issues is discriminatory and against core EU values, charged a group of Hungary's EU partners on Tuesday.

"Respectful treatment of minorities, including sexual minorities, should be completely beyond question," Michael Roth, the German minister of state for Europe, said before a meeting with his EU counterparts.

Criticism also came from representatives from Belgium, France, Ireland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

The law in question, approved by the Hungarian parliament last week, stops books or films depicting any sexual mores other than heterosexuality being accessible to young people or children.

It also bans adverts that portray homosexual or transgender people as being a normal part of society.

The provisions are part of a legislative package that centre on stricter punishments for sexualized violence against children and young people, and sets up a 'paedophile register.'

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto defended the package on his way into talks in Luxembourg on Tuesday, saying it was primarily about child sex abuse and only ensured young people's sex orientation education was up to their parents alone.

'Discrimination'

But Dutch Foreign Minister Sigrid Kaag said it was unacceptable that such "discrimination and marginalization of people is taking place before our eyes."

Critics see the new law as an effort to introduce homophobic censorship along Russian lines into the EU country.

Ireland's Minister of State for European Affairs Thomas Byrne said Dublin would sign a Benelux-drafted declaration pushing the EU executive to "take action" against Budapest. Germany also supports this, according to Roth.

The European Commission said last week it was reviewing the new legislation. It has the power to take member states to the bloc's highest court if it suspects they have broken EU laws.