Latest news with #ChristopherStreetDay
Local Germany
4 days ago
- Politics
- Local Germany
Germany's Pride parades exposed to increasing extremist threats
Ahead of Christopher Street Day (CSD) demonstrations -- also known as LGBTQ Pride parades -- Germany's CSD association has warned about an increase in the number of anti-queer crimes -- including hostility seen at some events. "We have a massive increase in online threats," Kai Bölle, board member of the CSD Germany association, told the DPA. Bölle cited groups of young right-wing extremists that have called for counter-actions, adding that the tone "has taken on a new quality." Threatening emails to CSD organisers are used to try to create a climate of fear, said Bölle. He added that in some places "participants are becoming more cautious, arranging to meet in groups to move from train stations to the demo and back." In 2024, 27 organised counter-actions by right-wing extremist groups were counted at CSD events. READ ALSO: Pride parade runs the gauntlet in German far-right stronghold Calls for nationwide reporting on queerphobia Anti-queer crimes fall within the broader category of politically motivated crime. According to the Federal Criminal Police Office, 1,765 cases of politically motivated crimes related to sexual orientation were reported last year (up 18 percent compared to 2023), as well as 1,152 cases directed against trans or non-binary people (up 35 percent). Andre Lehmann, board member of the LSVD⁺ Association for Queer Diversity, said that queer-hostile hate crime had once again reached a "sad peak". But he said that the numbers don't show the full extent of the problem: "About 90 percent of crimes against queer people still remain in the dark." Lehmann sees a lack in uniform reporting standards among the German states, and therefore calls for a nationwide reporting office to help illuminate the number of unreported cases. Advertisement Christopher Street Day events begin in June and continue through July CSD parades are demonstrations for equal rights for LGBTQ+ people often organised by the Pride associations of various German cities. Christopher Street Day takes its name from gay club the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street in New York, which was stormed by police in June 1969. The raid sparked the Stonewall Riots, six days of serious clashes between bar patrons, local residents and law enforcement. Some CSD events start from the beginning of June, which is known as Pride month internationally. CSD demonstrations are planned for Saturday in Hanover, Saarbrücken and Schwerin, among other German cities. German Pride Day, however, is celebrated on July 3rd. Berlin's massive CSD parade is typically held on a Saturday toward the end of July -- this year it's set for July 26th. IN PICTURES: Berlin's CSD pride parade brings colour to a rainy day German police will attend CSD demonstrations nationwide with the goal of protecting the demonstrators. With reporting by DPA.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
German parliament to fly rainbow flag on Saturday - but not on Pride
The German parliament will fly a rainbow flag on Saturday to mark the international day against homophobia, but the symbol for the queer community will not be seen during Berlin Pride celebrations. The flag will be hoisted on May 17, a date which Julia Klöckner - the president of Germany's lower house of parliament, the Bundestag - on Friday called crucial in the fight "against discrimination and for the acceptance of the diversity and equality of all people." The date, formally known as International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, was chosen to mark the World Health Organization's 1990 decision to remove homosexuality from its classification of diseases. "I have also decided that this will be the only occasion and that a corresponding flag will not also be flown on Christopher Street Day, which, as a day of assembly, protest and celebration, thrives on its powerful presence on the streets," Klöckner added. The term Christopher Street Day (CSD) is used in Germany to refer to Pride celebrations for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT+) community. It is a reference to the location of the Stonewall Inn in New York City's Greenwich Village neighbourhood, where a protest against police discrimination on June 28, 1969, kick-started the gay liberation movement. The Reichstag building - which houses the Bundestag - first flew the rainbow flag to mark CSD in 2022. Former Bundestag president Bärbel Bas said raising the flag would show a commitment to diversity.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tens of thousands protest against far-right ahead of Germany election
Thousands of people in Germany took to the streets on Saturday in protests in Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Dusseldorf and other cities, opposing the far-right which is polling in second place ahead of elections on February 23. Berlin gay parade against far right Berlin's gay community held a colourful procession through central Berlin on Saturday, calling for their rights to be respected, a week before the parliamentary elections. "Kisses for all, but not for the AfD," was inscribed on placards in reference to the far-right party currently polling at 20% but rejected by the mainstream parties. Others read: "Choose love" or "We're queer, but we're staying here." A police spokeswoman put the turnout at around 6,000. The procession was held under the banner "Christopher Street Day," the same as Pride in most other countries. The name refers to a 1969 incident in New York's Greenwich Village at the Stonewall Inn. Andre Lehmann, a spokesman for the organizers, put the number at more than 15,000. "The atmosphere is great," Lehmann said, as the demonstrators braved icy temperatures. The aim of the demonstration was to show that gay rights were non-negotiable in a democracy, he said. Demos in Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Hamburg In Frankfurt, more than 15,000 came out to protest against right-wing extremism under the rubric "Choose love for as long as you still can," according to the police estimate. Organizers put the number at 20,000. In Osnabrück, up to 3,000 people marched through the city, while a demonstration in Braunschweig drew 2,000 people. Police said the protests were peaceful. A pride parade in Hanover drew more than 800 people marching for gay rights and democracy and a similar rally in Hamburg drew some 3,800. An anti-AfD protest in the western city of Dusseldorf drew around 13,000 people by afternoon, with the numbers still growing, according to police. A spokesman said the demonstration was proceeding peacefully.
