Disturbances and protests: CSDs in Rhineland-Palatinate under pressure!

Disturbances and protests: CSDs in Rhineland-Palatinate under pressure!

This year's Christopher Street Days (CSD) in Rhineland-Palatinate were marked by numerous disruptions and counter-demonstrations. According to the South German newspaper Several of these events were attacked by people from the right-wing spectrum. A well-attended counter-demonstration with around 1,000 participants took place in Trier under the motto “Homeland and tradition against the CSD”. This counter-demo followed the CSD procession at a very close distance and was organized by a member of the “Junge Patrioten”, a youth organization of the AfD. Some counter-protesters reportedly expressed dislike for the queer community as well as Antifa.

There were also counter-demonstrations in Kaiserslautern and Bingen, but without any significant disruption. In Kaiserslautern, around 800 people gathered under the banner “Child protection instead of CSD”, although the police did not have to intervene. A counter-demonstration also followed in Bingen, with the slogan “There are only men and women – against the CSD”, without any incidents occurring.

The size of the CSD

At the largest CSD in Mainz, which took place at the end of July, the participants marched through the city with an impressive 8,000 people. Despite the positive mood, police forces had to intervene when insults were shouted by drunk passers-by; However, these could not be assigned to any particular group. Across the region, a total of almost 15,000 people took part in the CSDs in these cities, while no counter-events took place in Koblenz, Bad Kreuznach, Nierstein and Zweibrücken.

The third CSD took place last Saturday in Remscheid, another place where the event took place. 120 counter-demonstrators were registered here, of which around 60 ultimately gathered. They held pious slogans and stood close to the CSD event on the town hall square. Meanwhile, around 1,500 CSD participants marched through the city center to demonstrate for queer rights and a free life. The police ensured that there were no direct confrontations between the two groups by maintaining strict spatial separation.

The social context

The current developments are part of a worrying trend in Germany, where anti-queer crimes have reached an all-time high. The Deutschlandfunk culture points out that there is an increase in hostility against the LGBTQI* community, with trans* and intersex people, as well as lesbians, gays and bisexuals, in particular, suffering from increasing discrimination. Historians warn of a possible return to oppressive laws as right-wing groups increasingly seek to destabilize the queer movement's gains.

Given these challenges, commitment to the rights of the LGBTQI* community is essential. The CSD should not only be a celebration of diversity, but also a reminder to fight for the rights achieved and to show solidarity against all forms of discrimination and hatred.