In the early hours of Wednesday, unknown individuals at Göttingen’s Albaniplatz sprayed the so-called “Rainbow” staircase in the colors of the German flag. This was reported by the police in a press release. A wall and a memorial plaque commemorating the book burnings were also defaced with several slogans, including ones hostile to queer people, as well as the acronym “ACAB” (for “All Cops Are Bastards”) or the numerical code “1161” (standing for “Anti-Antifascist Action”).
Investigations into the property damage and graffiti have been taken over by the State Protection Directorate. Witnesses are asked to contact Göttingen Police at (0551) 491-2115. “The fact that the vandalism in Göttingen is now directed at queer people as well is something the police view with particular sensitivity, especially in light of the upcoming Christopher Street Day on June 20,” the statement continued. “Queer-hostility and any other form of hostility toward people based on group identity contradict the values of a democratic and respectful coexistence, values that the police are committed to protecting and upholding with steadfast resolve and will continue to defend.”
Students Restored the Staircase
The staircase had been permanently painted in 2023 to mark the CSD — a site that regularly hosts the Pride’s closing rally, including this year on June 20. According to the Göttinger Tageblatt, which published accompanying photos, students from the neighboring Max Planck Gymnasium had already acted on Wednesday morning: “They grabbed their acrylic paints and returned the colorful staircase to its original state.”
The CSD responded on Wednesday morning with an Instagram story about the incident: “We would like to thank the students of MPG who restored our Pride staircase,” it read alongside before-and-after images published by the Alliance Against the Right. “Another reason to take to the streets on June 20 and to raise our voices. Göttingen is colorful, loud, and diverse.”
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The desecrated memorial plaque commemorating the book burnings is also being cleaned, Green Party state parliament member Marie Kollenrott wrote on Instagram: “We will not let queer visibility be erased, and historical revisionism has no place!” The Jusos Göttingen also spoke of a “targeted attack on queer visibility, on diversity, and on all people who stand up for an open society” in another of many reactions.
