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class="article-le-byle" data-activy-map="le-byle-article-top">By <span class="byle-name"><a href=">Ala Suliman</a></span></div></sectn><div class="article-body__ntent article-body-font--loadg"><p class="">LONDON — When <a href=" target="_blank">Germany played Hungary a fiercely petive Euro 2020 soccer match</a> Wednday night, the two untri' sportg ntt mirrored a much wir clash happeng off the field.</p><p class="">The two natns reprent starkly opposg ernment stanc on LGBT rights, wh Hungary facg ternatnal cricism for a <a href=" target="_blank">law, formally enacted this week</a>, which bans the promotn of homosexualy or transgenr issu schools and seemgly nflat them wh pedophilia.</p><div class="ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer boxleAd dn-prt" data-ttid="ad__ntaer"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxle" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[]],[[758,1],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[728,90],[360,360]]],[[0,0],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[360,360]]]]" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te" data-offset-viewport="100" data-ttid="ad__ntaer__ner"></div></div><div id="taboolaReadMoreBelow"></div><p class="">Meanwhile, policians Germany lled for the <a href=" target="_blank">lors of the rabow to illumate the stadium Munich </a>durg Wednday's soccer match as a gture of support for<a href=" target="_blank"> LGBT rights</a> and a direct cricism of Hungary's stance.</p><p class="">The requt was rejected by soccer's <a href=" target="_blank">European erng body, UEFA</a>, for beg a breach of impartialy l. After fierce cricism, particularly on social media, <a href=" target="_blank">UEFA later clarified s posn a statement</a> Wednday, sayg that was "proud" to wear the rabow lors but the "requt self was polil" and "lked to the Hungarian football team's prence the stadium."</p><p class="">The cisn has been lambasted by German and European Unn lawmakers as an own goal by UEFA and a w for Hungary's right-wg ernment, led by <a href=" target="_blank">Prime Mister Viktor Orbán</a>.</p><p class="">Nohels, many soccer fans took matters to their own hands by wavg rabow flags durg the game, which also saw a German fan n onto the pch wavg a rabow flag. Other stadiums and landmarks Germany also l up wh rabow lors durg the game.</p><div class="ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer boxleAd dn-prt" data-ttid="ad__ntaer"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxle" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[]],[[758,1],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[728,90],[360,360]]],[[0,0],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[360,360]]]]" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te" data-offset-viewport="100" data-ttid="ad__ntaer__ner"></div></div><p class="">The<a href=" target="_blank"> match</a> end a 2-2 tie, but the battle over progrsive valu and Hungary's hard-le social nservatism rag on, wh prsure growg on the<a href=" target="_blank">27-natn European Unn</a> — to which both untri belong — to tervene.</p><p class="">It's a bate that ps Hungary's ultra-natnalist prime mister agast the liberal-leang learship of the E.U., which exists to ensure that all of s members follow a uniform standard of ternatnal laws, l and regulatns.</p><p class="">The ntroversy over the Hungarian LGBT bill also turned the soccer game to a wir symbolic showdown between petg visns for the future of Europe, ptg Orbán agast Wtern Europe's broadly liberal nsens.</p><figure class="styl_leImage__yAWZ0 styl_medium__OMa6x"><picture class="styl_image__1qciH"><source media="(m-width: 1000px)" srcSet=" 2x, 1x"/><source srcSet=" 2x, 1x"/><img loadg="lazy" src=" alt="Image: The Allianz Arena stadium Munich l up rabow lors after a match." height="2468" width="3457"/></picture><figptn class="ptn styl_ptn__Pe5JC"><span class="ptn__ntaer" data-ttid="ptn__ntaer">The Allianz Arena stadium Munich l up rabow lors after a soccer match.</span><span class="ptn__source">Andreas Gebert / Rters</span></figptn></figure><p class="">The soccer sndal me jt over a week after Hungary's parliament passed the bill to ban the sharg of material schools emed to promote homosexualy or genr transn.</p><p class=""><a href=" target="_blank">Hungarian opposn parti boytted </a>the votg ssn, while human rights groups nounced the bill as anti-LGBT and <a href=" target="_blank">anized protts Hungary's pal, Budapt</a>.</p><p class="">"This Hungarian bill is a shame,"European Commissn Print <a href=" target="_blank">Ursula von r Leyen </a>said Wednday.</p><div class="ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer boxleAd dn-prt" data-ttid="ad__ntaer"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxle" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[]],[[758,1],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[728,90],[360,360]]],[[0,0],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[360,360]]]]" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te" data-offset-viewport="100" data-ttid="ad__ntaer__ner"></div></div><p class="">The E.U.'s missner for jtice, Didier Reynrs, <a href=" target="_blank">vowed to take any actn necsary to thwart the new law</a>, which will e to force two weeks' time.</p><p class="">Lawmakers om at least 17 European untri — cludg Belgium, France, Germany and Ireland — also <a href=" target="_blank">issued a statement this week nmng the law </a>as a "blatant form of discrimatn and stigmatizatn of LGBTIQ people," statg that vlated fundamental rights "unr the pretext of protectg children."</p><p class="">But Orbán is not changg urse.</p><p class="">Speakg upon arrival at an E.U. meetg Bssels on Thursday, he led out whdrawg the law, sistg do not target homosexuals.</p><p class="">"It's not about homosexualy, 's about the kids and the parents," Orbán said. "I am fendg the rights of homosexual guys but this law is not about them."</p><p class=""><a href=" target="_blank">Hungary's foreign affairs mister, Péter Szijjártó</a>, also fend the law and said Tuday that was only aimed at pedophil: "This law don't say anythg about sexual orientatn of adults."</p><div class="ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer boxleAd dn-prt" data-ttid="ad__ntaer"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxle" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[]],[[758,1],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[728,90],[360,360]]],[[0,0],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[360,360]]]]" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te" data-offset-viewport="100" data-ttid="ad__ntaer__ner"></div></div><p class="">For Hungarian LGBT activist Viktória Radványi, 25, the solidary on the soccer pch om other Europeans was wele and "really heartwarmg," she told NBC News.</p><p class="">"That giv power. ... It mak people believe that this horror will sometime end," she said.</p><div class="remend-tersectn-ref" data-activy-map="remend-article-body-remend" data-ttid="remend-wrapper"></div><div class="remend-tersectn-ref" data-activy-map="remend-article-body-remend" data-ttid="remend-wrapper"></div><p class="">But the lack of actn om the E.U. had so far left many feelg "abandoned" and "disappoted," acrdg to Radványi, who is also a board member of Budapt Pri.</p><p class="">"Everybody is really anx and really fearful," she add, wh many, herself clud, ntemplatg leavg Hungary for safety and secury. "The nstant anxiety and fear, tak a toll on you."</p><figure class="styl_leImage__yAWZ0 styl_medium__OMa6x"><picture class="styl_image__1qciH"><source media="(m-width: 1000px)" srcSet=" 2x, 1x"/><source srcSet=" 2x, 1x"/><img loadg="lazy" src=" alt="Image: A German fan wearg a rabow face verg the stands before the match agast Hungary." height="1667" width="2500"/></picture><figptn class="ptn styl_ptn__Pe5JC"><span class="ptn__ntaer" data-ttid="ptn__ntaer">A German fan wearg a rabow face verg the stands before the match agast Hungary on Wednday.</span><span class="ptn__source">Alexanr Hassenste / Rters</span></figptn></figure><p class="">Orbán has been challengg the broad socially liberal nsens across the E.U. ever sce he returned to power 2010. He has equently cricized multiculturalism and immigratn and worked to curtail prs eedoms.</p><p class="">His msage ronat wh some Hungarians who rent terference om Bssels and perceived nscensn om the E.U. — a sentiment that was also part of the <a href=" target="_blank">U.K.'s 2016 Brex cisn</a>.</p><div class="ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer boxleAd dn-prt" data-ttid="ad__ntaer"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxle" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[]],[[758,1],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[728,90],[360,360]]],[[0,0],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[360,360]]]]" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te" data-offset-viewport="100" data-ttid="ad__ntaer__ner"></div></div><p class="">Meanwhile, the E.U. has long acced Hungary of unrmg the le of law and has lnched a formal legal vtigatn of Orbán's ernment.</p><p class=""><a href=" target="_blank">Marc Angel</a>, a member of the European Parliament and s<a href=" target="_blank"> LGBTI Intergroup</a>, told NBC News that the E.U. mt take tougher actn, both the urts and fancially, agast Hungary's populist ernment.</p><p class="">"He's an tocrat," Angel said of Orbán. "It's not the E.U. vers Hungary. ... Most Hungarians are happy to be the European fay."</p><p class="">However, Orbán's ernment stance on LGBT rights was likely beg ratcheted up as a vote-wner among nservativ ahead of electns the untry next year, Angel said.</p><p class="">"Their way of dog polics is terrible, always tryg to fd spegoats," he add. "They've learned om Tmp, I'm aaid. ... They're not rpectg fundamental l and our valu."</p><p class=""><em><strong>Download the <a href=" target="_blank">NBC News app</a> for breakg news and polics</strong></em></p><div class="ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer boxleAd dn-prt" data-ttid="ad__ntaer"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxle" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[]],[[758,1],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[728,90],[360,360]]],[[0,0],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[360,360]]]]" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te" data-offset-viewport="100" data-ttid="ad__ntaer__ner"></div></div><p class="">Lydia Gall, a senr rearcher at Human Rights Watch focg on Eastern Europe, also said Hungary's "creasg thorarian tennci" were puttg the untry on a "llisn urse" wh the E.U., warng that "Orbán's playbook" was danger of beg succsfully exported to other untri nearby, <a href=" target="_blank">particularly Poland</a>.</p><p class="">Wh an electn next year, <a href=" target="_blank">Orbán has grown creasgly bative on social issu</a>, sayg he wants to safeguard tradnal <a href=" target="_blank">Christian valu the majory-Catholic untry</a>, agast what he se as the excs of Wtern liberalism.</p><figure class="styl_leImage__yAWZ0 styl_medium__OMa6x"><picture class="styl_image__1qciH"><source media="(m-width: 1000px)" srcSet=" 2x, 1x"/><source srcSet=" 2x, 1x"/><img loadg="lazy" src=" alt="Image: Hungary Prime Mister Viktor Orbán arriv for a NATO summ at s headquarters Bssels." height="2628" width="3942"/></picture><figptn class="ptn styl_ptn__Pe5JC"><span class="ptn__ntaer" data-ttid="ptn__ntaer">Hungary Prime Mister Viktor Orbán arriv for a NATO summ at s headquarters Bssels on June 14.</span><span class="ptn__source">Kenzo Tribouillard / AFP - Getty Imag</span></figptn></figure><p class="">However, a battle between liberalism and populism ptg the E.U. agast Orbán may be too simplistic, argu Hans Kundnani, a senr Europe rearch fellow at the London-based Chatham Hoe thk tank.</p><p class="">Instead, Kundnani said as the polil left and right have creasgly nverged around enomic matters, the polil bate has shifted to cultural issu and inty polics.</p><p class="">"Both sis have an centive talkg up culture wars," he told NBC News. "Issu around genr and LGBT equaly have bee really central to the way the E.U. imag self."</p><p class="">The <a href=" target="_blank">Euro 2020 soccer tournament</a> has already bee a battleground for petg inty polics, after a furor around <a href=" target="_blank">players takg a knee before gam solidary wh the Black Liv Matter movement</a>.</p><div class="ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer boxleAd dn-prt" data-ttid="ad__ntaer"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxle" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[]],[[758,1],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[728,90],[360,360]]],[[0,0],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[360,360]]]]" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te" data-offset-viewport="100" data-ttid="ad__ntaer__ner"></div></div><p class="">Earlier the tournament, durg a iendly match Budapt between Ireland and Hungary, Hungarian fans booed Irish players as they knelt on the field as a sign of solidary agast racism.</p><p class="endmark">Orbán swiftly nounced the gture of takg a knee, statg that "polics has no place sports," and chid the Irish team, tellg them not to "provoke the host if you e as a gut." Hungarians only kneel before God, their untry and their lovers, he said.</p></div><div class="article-body__ntent article-body-font--loadg"><div class="expand-byle-ntributors articleByleContaer"><div class="expand-byle article-expand-byle" data-activy-map="expand-byle-article-bottom"><div class="byle-thumbnail byle-thumbnail--has-image expand-byle__thumbnail"><a href="><picture><source srcSet=" 2x, 1x"/><img loadg="lazy" src=" alt="" height="48" width="48"/></picture></a></div><span class="byle-name expand-byle__name"><a href=">Ala Suliman</a></span><span class="byle-social expand-byle__social"><a href=" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="byle-social--lk"><span class="in in-twter"></span></a><a href="" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="byle-social--lk"><span class="in in-email"></span></a></span><div class="expand-byle__b-wrapper"><p class="byle-b expand-byle__b">Ala Suliman is a London-based reporter for NBC News Digal. </p></div></div><div class="expand-ntributors">The Associated Prs<!-- --> and <!-- -->Rters<!-- --> <!-- -->ntributed<!-- -->.</div></div></div></div><div class="article-body--right-rail-ntaer"><div class="article-body__right-rail layout-grid-em grid-l-4_5-l grid-l-3_5-xl grid-l-ph-half-xl"><div class="ad article-body__right-rail--ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer dn-prt" data-ttid="ad__ntaer"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxrail" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[[300,250],[360,360]]],[[758,1],[]],[[0,0],[]]]" data-offset="10" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te" data-ttid="ad__ntaer__ner"></div></div></div></div></div><span></span><div class="body-bottom-remend"><div class="ad ad--midrponsive ad-ntaer dn-prt" data-ttid="ad__ntaer"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="midrponsive" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[[700,1],[5,5]]],[[758,1],[]],[[0,0],[]]]" data-offset="300" data-reh-terval="0" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te" data-ttid="ad__ntaer__ner"></div></div></div></div></div></article></div></div><div id="hfs-footer" class="dn-prt" data-activy-map="hfs-footer"><footer class="hfsf" ><div class="ner"><div class="logo"><a href="><svg class="peack" viewBox="578 62 67 39" xmlns=" fill="currentColor"><g fill-le="evenodd"><path d="M579.074 90.58c1.717-4.494 6.472-6.08 10.697-3.37l18.29 12.754h-22.18c-4.62 0-8.252-4.23-6.8-9.385"></path><path class="feather" d="M579.074 90.58c1.717-4.494 6.472-6.08 10.697-3.37l18.29 12.754h-22.18c-4.62 0-8.252-4.23-6.8-9.385"></path><path class="feather" d="M597.563 75.863l9.442 21.613-19.478-13.35c-4.887-3.24-3.896-8.79-1.19-11.237 3.83-3.24 9.245-2.12 11.226 2.97"></path><path class="feather" d="M610.57 70.93l-3.433 24.19-9.772-23c-2.113-5.75 2.64-9.516 5.81-9.583 3.632-.396 8.188 2.38 7.396 8.394"></path><path class="feather" d="M625.494 72.103l-9.707 23.067-3.102-20.82c-.265-3.17 1.716-3.237 2.443-3.832-.133-.463-1.124-.463-1.124-.463h-1.848c-.198-5.42 4.028-7.8 7.462-7.535 3.697.132 7.856 4.428 5.876 9.583"></path><path class="feather" d="M635.338 84.167L615.86 97.584l9.177-21.348c2.775-6.742 9.245-5.42 11.556-2.842 2.51 2.51 3.235 7.6-1.255 10.773"></path><path class="feather" d="M637.448 99.9h-22.515l18.29-12.756c4.49-2.975 9.244-.266 10.498 3.635 1.327 4.36-1.65 9.12-6.27 9.12"></path></g></svg></a></div><nav class="lks"><ul class="lks__wrap" data-l-2="14" data-l-3=15><li><a href=" target="_self">About</a></li><li><a href=" target="_self">Contact</a></li><li><a href=">Help</a></li><li><a href=">Careers</a></li><li><a href=" target="_blank" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ad Choic</a></li><li><a href=" target="_blank" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Privacy Policy</a></li><li><a href=" target="_blank" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Do Not Sell My Personal Informatn</a></li><li><a href=" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CA Notice</a></li><li><a href=">Terms of Service (Updated JULY 7, 2023)</a></li><li><a href=">NBC News Semap</a></li><li><a href=" target="_self">Closed Captng</a></li><li><a href=">Advertise</a></li><li><a href=" target="_self">Select Shoppg</a></li><li><a href=" target="_self">Select Personal Fance</a></li></ul></nav><div class="py"><p>© 2023 NBC UNIVERSAL</p><div class="brands"><a href="><svg viewBox="0 0 120 20" fill="none" xmlns=" aria-labelledby="nbc_news_logo"><tle class="nbc_news_logo">NBC News Logo
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