First CSD in Albstadt: Right-wing extremists also want to come to the premiere

The police are also gathering personnel for the event on September 6th. “We hope that everything stays calm, but we are prepared,” said a spokesman for the police station in Reutlingen. 150 to 200 participants have registered for the CSD rally at 6:30 p.m. on the Bürgerturmplatz in the Ebingen district. Private individuals from the environment of the right-wing extremist party Die Heimat and the identitarian “Zollernalbjugend aktiv” are gathering at the same time under the motto “Against the gender madness” in front of the town hall, 100 meters away. They are also expecting 200 participants.

There is not even an AIDS help center in the district

How many there really will be is difficult to estimate, even for the organizers. The NPD successor party Die Heimat has promoted the demonstration, which is also to go through the city, on its channels nationwide. The mobilization video of the “Zollernalbjugend” was shared almost 30,000 times within 24 hours, said the local Juso chairman Kevin Paal. “We believe that we will still have a great event.”

The impetus came from young people. “There have been hardly any offers in this area in the district so far,” said Peter Demmer, the chairman of “Immerwaslos”. “We don’t even have an AIDS helpline.” A moving parade, otherwise a fixed part of a CSD, will be omitted for security reasons. However, there will be a party in the KulTurm a few meters away. Albstadt’s mayor Roland Tralmer (CDU) will also be there. “The city administration supports the CSD,” said city spokeswoman Mona Lehmann.

Is the Tübingen Antifa coming?

Meanwhile, the mobilization on the far right has also triggered activities at the other end of the political spectrum. Members of the Tübingen Antifa scene are also expected to attend. “If they want to shout at Nazis, that’s fine, but not at our event,” said Demmer, who works as a school social worker. They want to promote queer rights and diversity and not give right-wing extremists more attention. They have been talking about this for days. “But the left-wing extremist part of Antifa is always very deaf to this and has its own morals,” said Demmer.

The local AfD did not take up either the CSD or the counter-demonstration. The Zollernalb district is considered a stronghold of the party. In the European elections, the AfD achieved 20.8 percent, six percentage points above the nationwide result. Burladingen had the first AfD mayor in the state. However, the party is not represented in the Albstadt municipal council. The corona denier scene, which is quite active in the district, also held back. “We’re staying out of it and watching it from a safe distance,” wrote the organizer of “Albstadt stands up” on his Telegram channel.