Europe's far-right politicians are playing for LGBTQ+ rights weapons and seeding hate crime soaring departments, as communities prepare to mark Pride month, campaigners say.

Umbrella organization Katrin Hugendubel said Europe has been at the forefront of promotion rights and has made steady progress on issues such as marriage equality.

However, in recent years, a sharp reversal has taken place. “Not only does there really be no non-investment in terms of legal protection, but the law is actually taken away,” Hugendubel said. “What we’re seeing is that more and more laws are designed to not protect people’s fundamental rights, nor to meet any real social needs, but to just marginalize the community.”

Examples across Europe. In Hungary and Slovakia, populist governments attempted to give two genders to the constitution, a response from the far-right Austrian parties, winning the most votes in the last general election. In at least 10 European countries, including Italy, Bulgaria and Romania, legislation banning schools’ LGBTQ+ themes has been attempted.

The European Commission said this week that fear hate speech prevailed in many European countries, mentioning the protection of children from “gender ideology” became a “recurring trend.” Earlier this year, Hungary became the first EU country to ban activities involving LGBTQ+ communities, a legal change, just as the Budapest Pride is preparing to commemorate its 30-year legal change.

Politicians themselves have used parliament, political rallies and media interviews to target communities, fueling anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment and normalizing discrimination across the continent.

Hugendubel said the impact is widespread. “This leads to more hatred online and offline, which leads to more and more violence.”

A 2024 survey of more than 100,000 LGBTIQ people in 30 European countries found reports of violence and harassment reached new highs, with 14% of respondents saying they had been physically or sexually assaulted in the five years before the survey. One-third said they faced violence repeatedly.

Sirpa Rautio, director of the EU's Basic Rights Office, who conducted the investigation, said the findings highlighted the threat of bullying, harassment and violence. "Being publicly LGBTIQ in Europe should not be a struggle," Laudio said in a statement.

Although the rollback of rights is strongest in Central and Eastern Europe, where right-wing politicians are gaining power, violence is rising across the continent, with countries including France, Germany, Belgium and Spain reporting trends.

Hugendubel said suicide rates have also increased in a growing climate of discrimination, especially in transgender communities. "This ongoing war is fighting trans people, hitting very vulnerable young people who are trying to address their gender identity and trying to find their own space in society. Relentless hostilities can have devastating effects on mental health, including increased risk of suicide," she said. “It’s often forgotten, but it’s part of the story of the rise of hatred.”

She described the erosion of LGBTQ+ rights as "canary in the mine" as the same far-right government continues to extend its attacks to scholars, journalists and artists and undermine fair elections. “Community has been weaponized,” she said. “You are replacing a community and using it to create an American narrative that binds you to your own constituents and builds alliances that protect your own power.”

Hugendubel said the trans community was at the forefront because politicians captured many people’s understanding of community or trans rights. “It’s a simple guide to the sowing fear among people, sowing the division,” she said. “So, in that sense, it’s a real instrumentalization. You take the weakest connection and go there sow the fear, sow the wrong information, and then do a wider attack on the community, but also meet human rights standards.”

What emerged was an "existential threat" to democracy, which made it necessary for the EU to take action to address violations of fundamental rights.

The EU has been intensifying in recent years, demanding a resolution of the Hungarian government’s pride ban, and if Hungary does not revise these measures, 17 countries have called on Brussels to use all legal tools that can be used. However, so far, the EU's upper echelon has barely responded.

She said that as organizations across Europe prepare for Mark Pride, all of this has been a severe blow to many. "We have always said that pride is a protest. In many countries with LGBTI rights, pride has been fortunate to become a diverse celebration in the community, and so should."

But its roots cannot be forgotten, especially as communities struggle to cope with scapegoats, hate speech and surges of violence, she said. “In the end, limiting pride not only limits the visibility of LGBTI rights. It really limits the freedom of assembly that every citizen has,” she said. “And I think this pride season will be a reminder of people.”