Europe’s cities are the heartland of democracy – Budapest is living proof

Hungary has entered a new chapter. The elections of 12 April swept away an autocratic system and made clear that Hungarian society wants to return to European values and to a European way of life.

This democratic turn did not come suddenly. It was built over the years by citizens and communities who refused to give up on freedom, even under increasing pressure. In this process, cities – and above all Budapest – played a decisive role. While national institutions were being weakened, cities preserved something essential: the everyday practice of freedom. They kept alive what might be called the flame of liberty. And it was from these urban communities that a broader democratic renewal could take shape. 

The real question for me is what, in Europe, we still consider self-evident – and what we only begin to notice when someone attempts to take it away. Hungary’s recent experience shows that even when democratic norms are eroded, they can survive in local communities – and from there, they can be rebuilt. 

Budapest has been such a space – a place where participation, solidarity and openness were not abstract values but lived realities. Where citizens could still experience what it means to have a voice. And where local governance remained closer to people, even when the broader political environment moved in the opposite direction. 

The Budapest Pride of last year became a powerful symbol of this. What was meant to be restricted instead turned into a demonstration of civic confidence. People did not withdraw – they showed up. Peacefully, openly, and with a sense of shared purpose. There was even a sense of quiet defiance in the air: this is Europe – a community built on civic freedoms and rights. 

Whoever chooses freedom chooses companions. On that day, Budapest experienced that freedom has a community, it has strength, and it has a European language: solidarity. Moments like this restore confidence. They remind people that they are not alone. And they contribute – often in ways that are only visible later – to broader political change. 

Many prefer to reduce such developments to a cultural conflict – as if they were merely about identity or lifestyle. That is a mistake. The right of assembly is not an ideological privilege; it is a democratic minimum. If, in a member state of the European Union, this right is constrained through administrative measures or political pressure, this is not merely a domestic issue. It is a test of European democracy itself.

It raises a fundamental question: do our shared European principles live in the everyday reality of citizens, or have they become hollow phrases? 

This question has recently been answered with new clarity at the European level. In its judgment in Commission v Hungary, the Court of Justice of the European Union found that Hungarian legislation that stigmatises LGBTI+ persons not only breaches fundamental rights, but also – for the first time in such a case – violates Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union.

That article defines the Union’s core values: human dignity, freedom, equality and respect for human rights. The Court made clear that measures which marginalise entire groups of citizens are incompatible with the very identity of the Union as a community based on pluralism and non-discrimination. 

This is an important development. But the broader lesson lies with cities. The logic of power concentration is always the same: narrow space, centralise decisions, and distance governance from citizens. Cities do the opposite: they bring decision-making closer to people; they create opportunities for participation; and they can maintain trust even when national politics become polarised. 

This is why I am uneasy when cities are described as “islands of democracy”. The metaphor suggests separation and recalls a time when cities built walls to protect themselves. Today we need bridges rather than walls. Cities should not preserve democratic values only for themselves. Their responsibility is to demonstrate that democracy can work better – in a more human, inclusive and tangible way.

European democracy will not be defended solely in Brussels. It will be defended – or weakened – in cities and towns, in the everyday experiences of citizens. The European Union is not only a union of governments; it is a community of citizens. And trust is built where people live. 

Hungary’s democratic renewal shows that freedom can be preserved even in difficult times – if there are communities willing to protect it. Budapest and other cities helped keep that possibility alive. 

And when we see images of citizens gathering in the streets of Budapest, celebrating freedom and Europe’s return, we should remember what made that moment possible. Democracy was not rebuilt in institutions – it was rebuilt in the cities and communities that kept the candle of freedom burning. 

Gergely Karácsony has been Mayor of Budapest since 2019. He began his career as a social researcher and university lecturer. Karácsony is widely regarded as one of the most prominent opposition figures in Hungary, consistently advocating for deeper European integration, the green transition and greater autonomy for local governments.