Berlin Pride peaceful - Trouble with 'Queers for Palestine'

LGBT (including lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people) - Berlin Pride peaceful - Trouble with 'Queers for Palestine'

Hundreds of thousands attended the Christopher Street Day in Berlin under the motto "Together we are strong – for Democracy and Diversity". The closing speech was a peaceful big party, according to the CSD organizers. Highlight of the Saturday evening was the performance of Herbert Grönemeyer. At least 250,000 people attended the CSD, according to police estimates from the late Saturday evening.

Despite heavy rain at times, many stayed to see Grönemeyer. "Democracies around the world are being attacked in a perfidious way by fundamentalist, fascist forces," the singer said on stage at the end of the event. Right-wing forces were working against other lifestyles. "Let's not let that happen," Grönemeyer urged. "Let's fight for a progressive world, every day and side by side." The demonstration was officially ended at midnight.

Appeal to Politics

The organizers appealed to politics to include the protection of queer people in the Basic Law. The change to Article 3 of the Basic Law must come during this legislative period, demanded the activist Sophie Koch from the Landesarbeitsgemeinschaft Queeres Netzwerk Sachsen in her opening speech. The activists received support from Federal Family Minister Lisa Paus (Greens). Berlin's Queer Commissioner Alfonso Pantisano, who has received death threats due to his work, was accompanied by bodyguards at the CSD.

The CSD in Berlin is considered one of the largest events for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intergender, and queer community in Europe.

According to the police, there were numerous clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement at the simultaneous "Internationalist Queer Pride" event in Berlin-Neukölln.

Strafable Speech Choirs in Neukölln

At the head of the march, where solidarity with Palestine was demanded, there were 5,600 participants on Saturday. Some of them threw bottles and paint cans at police officers and press representatives. Additionally, criminal speech choirs were chanted and symbols of unconstitutional organizations were displayed. Thirty-one people were temporarily arrested, and thirty-seven investigations were initiated.

Fifty-eight arrests were made preventively at the largely peaceful Christopher Street Day itself with around 250,000 visitors. A group of right-wingers was stopped at the beginning of the CSD, who tried to join the march. The approximately 30 people were prevented from continuing and searched. Since it could not be excluded that the group planned homophobic or transphobic actions, the people were brought before a judge and initially taken into police custody.

Berliner CSD e.V.

1. The Berlin chapter of Christopher Street Day (CSD) Association, Berliner CSD e.V., organizes the annual Christopher Street Day event in Germany, which is renowned as one of the largest events for the LGBTQI community in Europe.
2. The LGBTQI community gathered for the Christopher Street Day in Berlin, demanding protection for queer people and calling for inclusion in the Basic Law.
3. The LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) community in Germany, along with their allies, celebrated Christopher Street Day under the motto of unity and diversity, fighting against fundamentalist and fascist forces that threaten democracies and diverse lifestyles.
4. The Christopher Street Day in Berlin was marked by several demonstrations, including one in Neukölln, where solidarity with Palestine was demanded, leading to clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement.
5. Several arrests were made during the Christopher Street Day celebrations in Berlin, including preventive arrests of a group of right-wingers who tried to join the march due to concerns about potential homophobic or transphobic actions.
6. Herbert Grönemeyer, a well-known German singer, delivered a powerful speech at the closing of the Christopher Street Day event, urging the crowd to fight for a progressive world and democracy, and not let their rights be taken away by anti-LGBTQI forces.
7. The Christopher Street Day in Berlin attracts thousands of people from various backgrounds, creating a vibrant scene that celebrates diversity and equality while advocating for democracy and the rights of the LGBTQI community.

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