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Hundreds of thousands at Christopher Street Day in Berlin
Colourful, shrill and exuberant – this is how the parade on Christopher Street Day (CSD) in Berlin presents itself. photo
© Fabian Sommer/dpa
In Berlin, several hundred thousand people come to Christopher Street Day. Dancing in the streets. Berlin’s governing mayor has to listen to boos.
Colourful, loud and not to be overlooked: Christopher Street Day (CSD) is in Berlin hundreds of thousands of people on the streets. The demonstration train with a good 75 vehicles and around 100 groups of often imaginatively dressed participants on foot moves on a 7.4 kilometer route through several Berlin districts.
The motto is “Be their voice – and ours! For more empathy and solidarity!”. House and electro beats can be heard. Soap bubbles rose, many danced in the streets and on truck trailers.
A Ukrainian truck was also part of the demo parade
A rainbow flag hangs on the Federal Chancellery. Rainbow colors can also be seen on the T-shirt of Bundestag President Bärbel Bas (SPD) and on many other CSD participants. The blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag also appears again and again. As in the previous year, a Ukrainian truck is part of the demo parade.
The fact that the President of the Bundestag took over the opening together with the Governing Mayor Kai Wegner is a first. Wegner is also the first Berlin CDU head of government who had agreed to do so. However, there were also a number of boos during his speech to the queer community.
“We want to change Article 3 of the Basic Law”
The CDU politician held out the prospect of an extension of Article 3 in the Basic Law. “My firm commitment to this Berlin Senate is: We want to change Article 3 of the Basic Law. Sexual identity has to be included,” he said. According to the article in the Basic Law, nobody may be disadvantaged because of their gender, their origin or their faith.
Bundestag President Bas called for action against discrimination: “We must set a clear signal for a free, diverse, diverse society,” she said. Discrimination is also increasing in Germany. “And we all have to defend ourselves against this and stand up against it together and show our attitude.”
Half a million participants
The organizers had registered 500,000 participants for the demonstration. The Berlin CSD is one of the largest events of the LGBTIQA* community in Europe. The abbreviation stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, intersexual, queer, asexual and other.
When the weather was not too hot, many CSD revelers dressed up: jackets and ties in rainbow colors could be seen as well as white turbans, hairstyles with expansive floral decorations, glittery pants or bare chests. At the end, an extensive stage program was planned at the Brandenburg Gate – until late in the evening.