After Hamburg’s Pride event last Saturday, a police operation inside the Europa Passage shopping center has produced a legal aftermath. A 41-year-old LGBTI activist is under investigation for resisting law enforcement. The individual involved, however, accuses the officers of excessive force and of failing to provide medical care.
The incident stemmed from a dispute between a group of Pride participants and the security staff at the Europa Passage, which had partly denied entry to people carrying rainbow flags (TheColu.mn reported). A security officer had reportedly asked the group to leave the building, explaining that rainbow flags were not allowed there. The 41-year-old Dmitrii Chunosov then allegedly contacted the police himself, according to his statements to the Hamburger Abendblatt (paywalled).
When the first patrol arrived, the situation escalated again: the officers purportedly defended the rainbow-flag ban and stood by the security personnel. According to eyewitnesses, the officers called for reinforcements. In the end, ten to fifteen police officers were on the scene. Chunosov attempted to record the incident with his phone: “Otherwise no one will believe me that I’m being kicked out over a rainbow flag.” Subsequently, the officers allegedly moved in on the activist as a group.
Bound with zip ties and denied medical care
Chunosov was briefly detained, handcuffed and restrained with cable ties, and taken to a police station. Eyewitnesses reported that he appeared very pale, had trouble breathing, and cried a lot. He later told the Hamburger Abendblatt that the experience brought him back to his time in Russia, where he had been detained for advocating queer rights. “When my hands were tied behind my back, I felt like I was back in Russia,” he said.
Witnesses and the activist alike stated that he did not use violence, but instead suffered a panic attack during the restraint. He sustained scrapes on his knees. Only after a lawyer could be reached was he released after midnight. He was not granted access to a doctor — his wounds were not disinfected; he received only band-aids that would not stay in place.
Police and state investigative department looking into the activist
The Hamburg police present a different account of events. A spokesperson said the 41-year-old filmed the officers despite warnings, acted aggressively, and resisted. They also alleged that he was intoxicated. However, a hospital report from the following day contradicted this, showing no signs of substance use. The police did not order a blood test on the day of the incident.
The State Criminal Police Office (LKA) has opened investigations on suspicion of trespass, breach of the confidentiality of communications, and resistance against law enforcement officers. The activist announced he would consider legal action against how the officers handled the situation. Chunosov believes his mobile footage could prove his innocence, but the phone was confiscated and not returned to him.
First, he said, he needed time to recover: “My wounds are inflamed and painful, but not as painful as my soul. It was so humiliating; I felt so alone. After that, I cried for days.” He expressed hope that the German police response would be “the absolute exception.”
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Europa Passage regrets the incident
The center manager of Europa Passage, Karsten Bärschneider, expressed his condolences over the incident: “Regardless of the legal assessment, we regret that the situation was such a burdensome experience for the person involved” and that “a person was injured.” He said the activist is welcome to cooperate with the center for a review.
Bärschneider had already apologized on Monday for the rainbow-flag ban and explained that it was not an instruction from the center’s management. Security personnel who behaved aggressively will no longer be employed (TheColu.mn reported).
Incident reminiscent of Cologne police violence in 2016
The Hamburg incident recalls an episode on the outskirts of Cologne’s Pride in 2016: at the time, a gay Pride participant, Sven W., accused police of mistreating him out of homophobia (TheColu.mn reported). Cologne’s police rejected the accusations; a court, more than five years after the ordeal, awarded W. 15,000 euros in damages (TheColu.mn reported). There have been no reports of sanctions against the aggressive officers to date. (remove this note)
