CSD Bernau defies rain and right - a festival for diversity!

CSD Bernau defies rain and right - a festival for diversity!

On Saturday, July 12, 2025, the city of Bernau, northeast of Berlin, transformed into a colorful center of diversity at the third Christopher Street Day (CSD). Under the motto "Queer stays here", around 600 to 700 people gathered to demonstrate for the rights of the LGBTQ+community. The event started at the train station and moved through the streets of the city, accompanied by a happy mood, despite the continuous rain.

Mayor André Stahl from the Left Party welcomed the peaceful course of the demonstration and was pleased with the high number of participants. "The support is great," he said, while the police reported no disputes between the demonstrators. It was a good sign in a time when CSD events are increasingly threatened by right-wing extremist provocations.

counter -protests and security

But the joy was clouded by a right -wing extremist counter -demonstration. About 40 people in the "German Youth" group kept a banner with the inscription "German youth ahead". However, the police had taken care of and separated the two groups. According to police spokesman Roland Kamenz, everything went disruptive, even if the atmosphere was tense due to the background of the protest. The participants of the CSD did not notice much from the counter -demonstration, and yet a feeling of threats that dampened the fixed character somewhat.

The police have now initiated investigations against two members of the right-wing counter-protest, due to the use of "prohibited symbolism", including SS runes on a belt. The pressure on the LGBTQ+movement increases-not only in Bernau, but also in other cities such as Bad Freienwalde, where a feast for diversity was recently disturbed by a violent attack, or in Gelsenkirchen, where a CSD event was canceled shortly before the start of impending violence.

a nationwide phenomenon

The increasing attacks on CSD parades are part of a worrying trend in Germany. Kai Bölle, a member of the board of the CSD Germany association, expressed that there was a massive increase in online threats. Young, right -wing extremist groups are increasingly asking for counter -actions, which also contains the security situation for such events. Reports confirm that this pressure also affects local CSDs in cities such as Regensburg and Emden, where even routes were shortened due to abstract threats.

Nevertheless, the CSD in Bernau remains a symbol of resistance and community. Despite the challenges, the participants enriched this day and set a sign of acceptance and diversity. The use of the police and the positive reaction of the local authorities contributed to the fact that the event could remain peaceful, which represents a little light in an often cloudy reality for everyone involved.

To learn more about the CSD in Bernau, you can rbb24 and [Tagesspiegel] (https://www.tagesspiegel.de/video-trotz-dauerregens-and-neonazi- opposite-so-so many participant-noch-nie-nie-beim-csd-bernau-14014541.html) visit. For a deeper context for the current security situations at CSD parades, you can also read the [Süddeutsche] (https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/rechtsextremism-attack on-csd-paraden-li.3271552).