Society Tens of thousands on Christopher Street Day in Berlin
Tens of thousands of people celebrated Christopher Street Day (CSD) in Berlin and demonstrated for the rights of gays, lesbians, transsexuals and transgender, intersex and bisexual people. According to the police, there were no major incidents until the afternoon.
26.07.2025, 12:46
26.07.2025, 16:47
SDA
The demonstration was held under the slogan "Never stand still again". Several participants in a small, right-wing extremist counter-rally were arrested for possession of weapons, among other things. The police deployed 1,300 officers to the CSD in the capital.
From midday, the procession with around 80 floats and more than 100 groups marched from Leipziger Strasse via Potsdamer Platz to Schöneberg and then to the Victory Column and the Brandenburg Gate. The organizers had expected hundreds of thousands of participants - until the afternoon there was no official information on the number of people gathered for CSD.
The rally commemorates June 28, 1969, when police stormed the Stonewall Inn gay bar on Christopher Street in New York, which was followed by days of clashes between activists and security forces. The riot is considered the birth of the modern gay and lesbian movement.
The organizers had referred to a serious and tense situation in advance. According to the authorities, anti-queer crimes have been on the rise for years. According to a situation report by the Federal Criminal Police Office and the Federal Ministry of the Interior from the end of 2024, the number of crimes in the area of "sexual orientation" and "gender diversity" has increased almost tenfold since 2010.
Yes and no to the rainbow flag
Unlike in previous years, no rainbow flag was flown at the German Bundestag; Bundestag President Julia Klöckner (CDU) had decided not to fly the flag.
In protest against Klöckner's decision, activists spread a 400 square meter flag on the lawn in front of the Bundestag late on Friday afternoon. Bundesrat President Anke Rehlinger (SPD), on the other hand, decided to fly the rainbow flag on the state representation building on Leipziger Strasse.
Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) also had the rainbow flag hoisted. "We are living in times in which we are unfortunately experiencing an increase in hate crime. Gays, lesbians and trans people are being attacked, verbally, but also through violence," he told Welt TV. We must "not tolerate this". A clear commitment, sending a clear signal, including from politicians, "that is important".
