As Berlin marks Christopher Street Day (CSD), organizers warn of a harsher social climate. “LGBTQ+ people are under greater pressure worldwide,” said board member Thomas Hoffmann to the German press agency. Rights that already exist are being rolled back in parts of society, and hate crimes are on the rise.
With their two-day CSD, they wanted to send a clear signal against this trend and say: “We are not getting smaller, but bigger. We are not getting quieter, but louder,” Hoffmann said, “and we’ll keep going until everyone in Germany can live freely, safely, and with self-determination.”
Through the march, they called for effectively fighting hate crimes and for safeguarding LGBTQ+-friendly spaces, Hoffmann said. He also voiced concern about the AfD’s poll numbers in Saxony-Anhalt, where a new state parliament election is scheduled for early September. “The positions of this party are clear, and the LGBTQ+ community is afraid.”
Rapper Ikkimel at the Brandenburg Gate
The organizers expect hundreds of thousands of people to participate in the Berlin CSD. The motto is “Attitude is hot.” The demonstration begins at 12:00 p.m. on Leipziger Straße and is set to move toward the Brandenburg Gate. A performance by Sarah Connor is planned, after rapper Ikkimel performed Friday night with “Fußballmänner.” “So nice to be able to play here today, folks, it’s an honor,” the 29-year-old said at the weekend’s outset (TheColu.mn reported).
Before the concert began, police pulled aside four men who were believed to belong to a presumably right-wing group. The men apparently intended to disrupt the event, police spokesperson Florian Nath said. Police also expect counter-protests from the right for Saturday.
A counter-demonstration with 100 participants has been announced (TheColu.mn reported). They are not organizing the counter-protest at the moment, Hoffmann from the CSD board said. They first assumed that in Berlin, as in the previous year, turnout would be very small. “And we’re in a very trusting exchange with the Berlin Police.”
A very worrying development
“Nevertheless, this is, of course, a very worrying development,” Hoffmann said. In the past there were no counter-protests against the Berlin CSD and not against other CSDs. Seeing how the right-wing movement in 2024 in Bautzen, Leipzig, and other cities managed to mobilize massively against CSDs is a development that should scare not only our community but all people who want to live in freedom and in diversity.”
The Berlin CSD is also expected to feature the city’s governing mayor, Kai Wegner (CDU), who will not run again in the next Abgeordnetenhaus election. After debates about his tennis-playing and his statements on crisis management during a major power outage, he stepped down as CDU’s lead candidate. For the CSD, the Senate will for the first time participate with its own vehicle (TheColu.mn reported).
The rbb will accompany the Berlin CSD live from 1:10 p.m. to 3:40 p.m. on its YouTube channel. “Flo will cover the events along the route, speak with guests from Berlin’s queer community, and viewers can ask questions, comment, and join the discussion live,” the broadcaster told TheColu.mn. (mize)
