Hungary’s lawmakers have outlawed anything that depicts homosexuality or sex reassignment. Supporters of the bill argued it would aid in the battle against paedophilia, while human rights organisations slammed it as an attack on the country’s minorities.

The bill was presented by the conservative ruling Fidesz party, and it is the largely perceived as the latest attempt in Hungary to limit the rights of homosexual men, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender individuals.

The new legislation contains modifications that prohibit the portrayal of any sexual orientation, as well as information about sex reassignment, in school sex education programmes, films, or advertising directed at anybody under the age of 18.

Human rights organisations slammed the bill, comparing it to Russia’s so-called homosexual “propaganda” law, which human rights authorities believe has been used to persecute sexual minorities.

Hundreds of protestors flooded the streets of Budapest on Wednesday, calling for the repeal of this recently passed law. The legislation is the latest in a series of controversial and anti-leftist changes undertaken by the ruling conservative party Fidesz, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, with the country’s 2019 parliamentary election less than a year away.

The party stated that the law’s purpose was to secure the “safety of children” when it was introduced in parliament on Tuesday.