Protest against the shift to the right - 250,000 people celebrate the CSD in Hamburg
To demonstrate for diversity, tolerance, and more rights for the queer community, hundreds of thousands of people gathered in Hamburg for the Christopher Street Day demo. In the Hanseatic city, with temperatures reminiscent of summer, it was loud and clear: most were dressed in bright colors, many had glitter on their faces, and carried rainbow flags. "The demonstration is a super strong signal for unity in society," a spokesperson for Hamburg Pride told the German Press Agency. It shows that the queer community is standing against the right-wing shift. This year's demo motto was "5 to 12! You & I against right-wing pressure".
According to the organizers and the police, around 250,000 people came to Hamburg and participated in or watched the demonstration. Behind the banner in the first row of the demo were Hamburg's Mayor Peter Tschentscher (SPD), Hamburg's Second Mayor Katharina Fegebank (Greens), and the Ukrainian General Consul in Hamburg, Iryna Tybinka. Tschentscher had exchanged views with some demonstrators and author Peggy Parnass before the parade started. Rocker Udo Lindenberg showed his solidarity on his Instagram account.
Record number of demo registrations
The loud and colorful demo procession, with over 130 registered groups, including 59 trucks, passed from Mundsburger Damm via Lange Reihe, the main station, and Mönckebergstraße to the town hall square. According to the spokesperson of Hamburg Pride, 133 groups registered this time - a record.
Hamburg Pride's demands
The organizers of the CSD appealed to politics to include the protection of queer people in the Basic Law. "The extended Article 3, Paragraph 3 of the Basic Law must in the future clearly state: 'No one may be disadvantaged or favored because of... their sexual or gender identity...'. This is absolutely necessary so that lesbians, gays, trans* and intersex people can no longer be treated as second-class citizens in the judiciary and legislation."
Rainbow flags in the city
Rainbow flags have been hanging on many buildings and facilities in Hamburg since the beginning of the week. The flag stands for worldwide equality and acceptance of people who do not identify with the norms around traditional male and female roles, or are not heterosexual. For example, the Hamburg Hochbahn also found the Hanseatic city colorful at its finest.
Celebrate and clean up in one go - 32 tons of waste
Directly following the colorful demo procession were around 30 employees of the Hamburg City Cleaning (SRH) - the so-called Orange Team. "Because where there's a party, waste is usually created," the city cleaning service explained. The team blended perfectly into the street scene. "The overall 32 tons of waste were handled by the SRH team with a press vehicle, four large sweeping machines, six small sweeping machines, and four small trucks." Despite the strenuous work, it was an honor for the Orange Team to be part of it, "because diversity is also highly valued at the SRH."
Pride Week with many activities
Already on Friday evening, the "9th Hamburger Dyke* March - for more lesbian* visibility!" with about 1,000 people marched from Gänsemarkt to the Reeperbahn, and around the Binnenalster there was a CSD street festival with lots of program and music from Friday to Sunday.
The Christopher Street Day is celebrated worldwide. The movement goes back to events in June 1969. After a police raid on the scene bar "Stonewall Inn", there was an uprising of gays and lesbians at the time. The main scene of street battles was Christopher Street in the artist quarter Greenwich Village.
The rainbow flags, a symbol of unity and equality, could be seen hanging on numerous buildings and facilities in Hamburg during Pride Week. The Christopher Street Day procession, featuring over 130 registered groups, including 59 trucks, was a vibrant display of diversity and solidarity against right-wing pressure.
