Christopher Street Day in Wismar

Accompanied by loud protests from right-wing groups, the first Christopher Street Day (CSD) took place in Wismar. The mostly colorfully dressed people first gathered on the market square and then marched through the old town. The police said there were 2,100 participants.

Right-wingers chant: “All of Germany hates the CSD”

According to the police, the right-wing groups had initially gathered in the nearby Lindengarten. The police spoke of an unregistered counter-demonstration. This site was called for in advance on social media. According to police, the approximately 200 participants were later given permission to march to the train station. Videos from the “Ostseezeitung” newspaper showed the participants, who were mostly dressed in black, shouting “East, East, East Germany” and “All of Germany hates the CSD”.

They then gathered in front of the station, where the CSD parade was passing. According to the police, there was mutual insults and the parade came to a temporary halt. Both sides were separated by numerous police officers. There were no further major clashes, said a spokeswoman.

Disputes already upon arrival at the station

There had already been isolated riots at the station when right-wing and left-wing demonstrators arrived, sometimes at the same time. From the left-wing camp, shouts of “Nazi pigs” were repeatedly heard in the direction of the right-wing groups. The police then separated the two camps, said the spokeswoman. A 30-year-old hit an officer several times with a pole, slightly injuring him, police said in the evening. Officers also discovered two young people who were on their way to the counter-demonstration with a blank gun and a butterfly knife. Investigations have been launched and the parents of the young people have been informed.

Social Minister Drese also at CSD

Social Minister Stefanie Drese (SPD) also took part in the CSD rally. She justified this with the calls for protests on the internet. Drese said of the disruptive actions by right-wing alliances: “As a state government, we will not accept that people are discriminated against and threatened because of their sexual identity or sexual orientation. We will therefore continue to work for an open society with courage and assertiveness.” She praised the first CSD in Wismar as an important sign of acceptance and self-determination.

Christopher Street Day commemorates the uprisings of the so-called queer community on Christopher Street in New York in 1969. It is about the equality of homosexual, transsexual, bisexual and intersex people.