Unknown individuals tore down and stole a rainbow flag from a residential building in Springe, in the Hanover region of Germany, overnight Friday into Saturday. The perpetrators left behind a handwritten threat letter, the police reported. A 38-year-old resident on Echternstraße reported the incident.
The police are treating the letter as a threat. It promises a repetition of the act if another rainbow flag is hung. The investigation is now underway on charges of theft and threat.
“While a stolen rainbow flag can be replaced quickly, the values it stands for endure,” commented Stefanie Hoffmann, Springe’s equality commissioner, to the Neue Deister-Zeitung. Diversity, mutual respect, and peaceful coexistence are foundational pillars of the city community. Hoffmann said she will continue to work to ensure that exclusion and intimidation do not dictate how people live together in Springe.
The Hanover Police are asking for any information about the incident at the telephone number (0511) 109-5555.
Marcy Ellerton
