Ahead of this year’s CSD in Wilhelmshaven, several posters advertising the Saturday event were damaged or stolen. This was reported by the organizers as well as the police.
According to police, on Monday between 12:00 and 18:30 there was damage to a CSD banner and the theft of several event posters. A witness told police that a banner mounted at the Jadeallee / Emsstraße roundabout had been damaged. The banner, roughly two by three-and-a-half meters in size, had been cut to a width of about 1.8 meters. The damage could be temporarily repaired in the meantime.
In addition, in the downtown area of Wilhelmshaven, several CSD posters were removed from their mounting points and stolen. Police have opened investigations into property damage and theft. Authorities are examining whether the incidents are connected. Witnesses who observed anything or who can provide information about the perpetrators are asked to contact the police at 04421 942-0.
“Seeing our banner damaged at the start of Pride Month is disappointing. At the same time, it shows that visibility and the fight for equal rights remain necessary,” commented Anke Hieronymus, the CSD project director. “We will not let this intimidate us and we will not become quieter,” according to the Pride website.
The sixth Wilhelmshaven Pride (on June 6, 2026) includes a demonstration starting at 2 p.m. and a closing rally with a stage program and stalls at the Pumpwerk cultural center. The vandalism is a reminder of “how important the CSD still is in 2026,” according to the organizers. They therefore urge “all people to join on June 6 to send a visible sign for respect, diversity and democracy”: “Whoever tries to push us back will not succeed. Every person who walks with us on the street is sending a message against hate and exclusion and for an open society. Right now, we need as many people as possible to take a stand.”
