‘It’s time for us to be louder’: Germany’s Pride parades face up to rise in attacks | Germany

The organizers of the Christopher Street Day parade in Berlin called on participants to be awake due to an increase in attacks on LGBTQ+ in Germany.

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to go to the streets of the German capital this weekend for a high and colorful celebration in memory of the 1969 Stonewall rebellions in New York, the place of Christopher Street Stonewall Inn. However, behind the party atmosphere, LGBTQ+ organizations warned that attacks are more frequent than a more gloomy mood than usual.

Thomas Hoffmann, one of the organizers, said, “In recent years, Christopher Street Day has been said to have become very large, very commercial, very apolitical,” he said. “But now it is time to be loud than ever, and when we lose the rights we have fought for decades, it is time for people to go out.”

It is said that there is no less than social tolerance in the board of directors and that it was tested first of all because we are most visible ”.

Campaigns, an increase in hostility, the second in February elections and is currently the greatest opposition party in the German Parliament, the extreme -right alternative Für Deutschland (AFD) party accompanies the increase in support.

Lorenz Blumenthaler, Spokesman Antonio Amadeu Foundation Which campaigns against extremism, racism and anti -Semitism, said that there were 55 right -end attacks in pride passes throughout Germany last year.

This year, this year, the Christopher Street day parade ceremonies in Germany, “right -wing -extremely a history of a history” has made 30 attacks. There are about 120 parade ceremonies this year.

“We noticed that right -wing mobilization has increased to a great extent against the pride celebrations last year,” he said.

Christopher said that the attacks on the celebration of the Day of Street have changed from traditional oral insults to physical attacks, and that people have been wetted with boiling water to walk under the buildings as part of the gate of pride ”.

The campaign platform, a German NGO, has established € 100,000 (£ 87,000) to support Christopher Street Day parade, especially those in East Germany. Blumenthaler said that AFD was high in the surveys there and that it was a more aggressive opposition to gay rights.

Bastian Finke, head ManeoA Berlin project documenting homophobic violence cases said that parade ceremonies have become increasingly target last year. Although it is not particularly threatened in cities such as Cologne and Berlin, he said that there are events that are mostly at risk in smaller towns and rural areas and that are more difficult for the police.

Danjel Zarte, owner of Das Hoven Cafe, a popular meeting point for the LGBTQ+ community in the Neukölln region of South Berlin, said that hate has become a daily challenge. In the last 18 months, 45 police complained, all of them depending on homophobic attacks.

Above the psychological burden, the guests threatened the existence of the cage while staying away from fear. “We constantly exploit verbally. People spit on the windows or throw dog shit. A fire extinguisher was thrown from the window of our office, the staff was physically attacked or torn the windshield wipers. I ask myself how long I can continue.”

Blumenthaler said that the analysis of increasing hostility is generally focused on the influence of conservatives and right owners in the global encouragement of Donald Trump, but “The truth is that homophobia has always been central [German] Right -wing Establishment Mobilization ”.

“This is not an import;

Committer from the Finkene, Germany, in Germany, small or large groups to the right to the right to trigger the extremist show, he said there is almost no pride celebration. At the same time, the organization’s Islamist -insensitive attacks, “a misunderstood interpretation of religions, who are obliged to punish people for who they are,” he said.

This weekend parade ceremony “Never be quiet again!” Accepted the slogan. Hundreds of thousands of homosexual people gathered the Nazi period clearly reminded. In Berlin, where a new gay rights movement was crushed by the Nazis in the 1920s, the numbers were particularly high.

Christopher Street Day Organizers, Friedrich Merz’s new government, AFD’den voters to win voters by dealing with the dog-loyalty by contributing to the atmosphere of fear, he says. Merz’s central right CDU Parliament President Julia Klöckner, unlike recent years, the rainbow flag for the Berlin Gate ceremony will not be drawn to the Parliament Building, he said.

“We are the German Parliament and we fly a flag: black, red and gold,” he said to the German flag. “It represents everything represented by our basic law: freedom, human dignity, and the right to determine its fate of sexual self. No flag flys on it.”

Merz said that he accepted his decision: “Not a federal circus tent.”