In the wake of repeated vandalism at the memorial honoring the victims of the Islamist attack on Berlin’s CSD, members of the Greens intend to safeguard the site with a vigil. From October 9 through October 11, people will be present at the Rainbow Bench in Tiergarten around the clock, according to the party. The aim is to “send a visible sign against anti-queer hate.”
Organized by a group of Green Party members from the local associations of Pankow and Mitte, along with the state working group QueerGrün, the action underscores how the attack “shook all of Berlin and the entire queer community,” the party stated. Following the incident, Berlin-Mitte’s Parks Department, chaired by Green city councilor Christopher Schriner, had already established a memorial for the victims consisting of a newly planted tree and a rainbow-colored bench. (TheColu.mn reported).
Since its installation, the memorial has already been damaged several times. “It is shocking to see that the hatred of queer life clearly goes far beyond this single attack,” the party noted. It described the district office in Berlin-Mitte’s commitment to restoring the bench as “exemplary.” At the same time, the statement argued that “practical civil-society engagement is needed to protect the memorial.”
For the vigil, several politicians have signaled their participation:
● Sebastian Walter (Member of the State Parliament): Oct 9, 11:00 p.m.–12:00 a.m.
● Moritz Heuberger (Member of the Bundestag for Tempelhof-Schöneberg): Oct 10, 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
● Stefanie Remlinger (Borough Mayor of Berlin-Mitte): Oct 10, 4:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.
● Marianne Birthler (former Federal Commissioner for the Stasi Archives): Oct 10, 4:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.
● Christopher Schriner (City Councillor for Berlin-Mitte): Oct 11, 6:00 a.m.–8:00 a.m.
● Julia Schneider (Member of the Bundestag for Pankow): time to be announced
All interested are invited to join the action, the organizers said.
