Münster: 25-year-old died after an attack on the edge of the CSD

He wanted to help women
25-year-old died after attack on the edge of the CSD in Münster

The 25-year-old man, who was crushed on the sidelines of a Christopher Street Day gathering in Munster, is dead. He succumbed to his injuries early Friday morning, police and prosecutors said. He intervened when an unknown man insulted participants and was knocked to the ground by him. According to the club Trans*Inter*-Münster the person killed is “a young transman from our self-help group TransIdent Münster”.

He was very proud, the 25-year-old, at the Christopher Street Day meeting last weekend in Münster. “He carried our banner at the demo. He wasn’t happier in a long time,” recalled Felix Adrian Schäper, chairman of the Trans*Inter*-Münster association, on Friday. “It wasn’t the end he deserved,” says Schäper. Schäper from the Trans*Inter*-Münster club is certain: “It was definitely an anti-queer attack.” The 25-year-old was a trans man. And the attacker had previously insulted two lesbian women in a homophobic manner.

According to witnesses, the suspect is said to have insulted several women with “lesbian whore” or “piss off” on August 27 and approached them threateningly. According to the police, the 25-year-old noticed the situation and asked the troublemaker to refrain from insults. “The young man’s efforts to mediate are said to have been the trigger for the attack,” said the police and prosecutors on Friday. A police spokeswoman said it could not be ruled out whether the 25-year-old’s gender identity played a role in the attack star.

Police are looking for the suspect and are looking for witnesses

According to earlier investigators, the 25-year-old lost his balance before another punch hit him in the face. Then the 25-year-old lost consciousness and hit his head on the asphalt. After the attack he was taken to the hospital, after all he was in an artificial coma. The body will be autopsied on Monday.

The suspect, described as an 18 to 20-year-old man, fled on foot with a companion. According to witnesses, the slight man wore flared jeans, a T-shirt and a bucket hat. The police are looking for him and are looking for other witnesses.

Sven Lehmann, the federal government’s queer commissioner, said on Twitter: “I’m stunned and sad. My condolences and deepest sympathy go to his family and friends. Violence against queer people is a threat that we all have to confront.”

Flags in Munster at half-mast

Federal Family Minister Lisa Paus (Greens) was “deeply shocked” by the death of the 25-year-old. “The attack on him shows that we still have to fight for equality and acceptance for all people in Germany,” explained Paus. Demonstrations like the CSD are political and by no means just colorful parties. “Variety and diversity are an asset to our society.”

“This misanthropic attack is an anti-queer hate crime that makes us angry and concerned,” said André Lehmann from the federal board of the Lesbian and Gay Association in Germany (LSVD). The association called on the authorities to immediately name and classify the act as an “LGBTI hate crime”. It was not the young man’s efforts to mediate that triggered the attack, but the deeply inhumane attitude of the perpetrators. This act shows once again how much action plans against transphobia and homophobia are necessary.

According to the city, the flags will be flown at half-mast on all municipal buildings in Münster, and a rally and mourning event should take place on Friday evening. “It concerns us all,” said Mayor Markus Lewe (CDU) with a view to the attack. “Our urban society is cosmopolitan and tolerant and will continue to fight to be a safe place for marginalized people.” Münster’s police chief Alexandra Dorndorf and the Catholic Bishop of Münster, Felix Genn, were also shocked.

Note: This article has been updated several times

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DPA
AFP