Berlin’s openly gay finance and culture senator Stefan Evers, who, after the stepping back of the governing mayor Kai Wegner, is poised to be the CDU’s top candidate for the Abgeordnetenhaus election in September, has bolstered support for CSD Berlin. “The CSD is part of Berlin’s DNA,” the 46-year-old said in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
He was also asked about the rainbow-flag ban at the Bundestag, raised by his party colleague Julia Klöckner. The Bundestag’s president had last year prohibited the customary raising of the rainbow flag for the CSD, citing the neutrality obligation of the state, and drew substantial criticism from queer organizations. Klöckner remarked last month that those who view the ban as directed against queer people possess “a shallow depth of intellectual thought,” queerd.de reported.
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Evers: “We tolerate different views”
Evers explained that, within a party like the CDU, there are disagreements: “The Union is a big-tent party. That’s why we tolerate different views. On this issue I’m clear: the CSD stands for diversity, respect, and human dignity. Berlin must stand behind that visibly.”
When asked what message he would offer conservative voters who are socially liberal, he replied, “I stand for a modern conservatism. And I’ll do everything in my power to prevent a left-green government in Berlin. The Left party wants to wreck our social market economy with its expropriation policies; it has an antisemitism problem; it wants to weaken our police. If you don’t want that, you should vote CDU.” The context is that, according to the latest polls, the Left could become the strongest force in Berlin, and the CDU risks falling behind the Greens and the AfD.
Evers is seen as conservative especially in fiscal policy and questions of internal security. As finance minister he pursued a restrictive budgetary policy, and during his time as general secretary he stood out as a “Law and Order” man.
The CSD demonstration in Berlin will take place on July 25 under the motto “Attitude is hot.” Evers had already told the FAZ in the interview that he would not be able to attend the event: “I have family obligations that weekend and I’m therefore unable to participate,” the Christian Democrat told the FAZ.
