- Again the rainbow flag replaced by the swastika flag
In Neubrandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, unknown perpetrators have once again removed a rainbow flag from the train station square and replaced it with a flag bearing a swastika. As the police reported, a passerby noticed the flag with the banned symbol in the morning. The responding officers removed and secured the flag. Investigations into the use of unconstitutional symbols have been initiated.
According to the city administration, the rainbow flag - a symbol of freedom for all sexual orientations, diversity, and tolerance - is constantly flying at the train station square, alongside the city and university flags. Last year, it was also stolen and replaced with a Nazi flag.
City condemns action
The city administration has condemned the latest incident as an attack on the fundamental values of the Federal Republic of Germany. "Hoisting a swastika flag is not only a criminal offense but also a disgusting symbol of a human-hating ideology that has no place in our society," the statement reads.
The city will continue to stand for an open, diverse, and free society where every person is respected and valued, and where hatred and intolerance have no place. In the past, rainbow flags have also been stolen from in front of the town hall.
Similar incident last year
Last year, the rainbow flag was stolen and replaced just before the Christopher Street Day demonstration in Neubrandenburg. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's Minister of Social Affairs, Stefanie Drese (SPD), who participated in the event, condemned the flag incident as discrimination and queerphobic provocation, and called for acceptance, tolerance, and the right to self-determination.
The Christopher Street Day (CSD) takes place alternately in Neubrandenburg and Neustrelitz. This year's event was held in Neustrelitz in June. The CSD commemorates the first known uprising of homosexuals against police brutality in New York's Christopher Street on June 28, 1969. Since then, people around the world have taken to the streets in remembrance.
The city administration has expressed their disdain for the latest incident, viewing the replacement of the rainbow flag with a swastika flag as an attack on the values of the Federal Republic of Germany. Furthermore, the city council has pledged to continue advocating for an open, diverse, and inclusive society, where the swastika flag, symbolizing hate and intolerance, has no place.
