Homophobic incidents in Berlin
Several people attacked on the edge of the CSD
07/23/2023 10:07 p.m
At Christopher Street Day in Berlin, hundreds of thousands of people celebrate peacefully and set an example for tolerance. On the fringes of the event, however, there were several homophobic attacks. It’s not just about insults.
On the fringes of Christopher Street Day, homophobic incidents broke out in Berlin. In the Alt-Hohenschönhausen district, two women aged 23 and 34 and a 19-year-old trans woman who had taken part in the major event were insulted and sometimes spat at by a group of young people on Saturday evening, the police said. In Schöneberg, a 30-year-old was physically attacked by a man who is said to have made homophobic comments.
In the incident in Alt-Hohenschönhausen, according to the police, the colorfully dressed trio was stared at by a group of five to six young people in a shop, imitated and filmed. After leaving the store, the three are said to have been followed and approached by the group. The young people are said to have insulted all three in a homophobic manner and also spit in the face of the 23 and 34-year-olds.
According to the information, the suspects were able to flee before the alarmed emergency services arrived. The police state security of the State Criminal Police Office (LKA) took up investigations into insults with a homophobic background and bodily harm.
“Pulled out of the wagon and grabbed by the neck”
In the case of the incident in Schöneberg, according to police information, a man in the subway made loud homophobic comments about the CSD in a telephone call on Saturday afternoon. At Yorckstraße station, the man initially prevented the 30-year-old from getting out, then pulled his T-shirt out of the wagon and grabbed his neck.
The attacked suffered pain in the neck and arm, the police said. Passers-by intervened, whereupon the perpetrator left the 30-year-old and went to the subway exit. In this case, too, the police state protection of the LKA took over the investigation.
Hundreds of thousands of people celebrated happily and peacefully at the CSD on Saturday and set a loud and colorful sign for tolerance and gender diversity. The traditional parade and rally transformed downtown Berlin into a party zone for gays, lesbians and other queer people. The celebration was linked to political demands for commitment to an open society and against hate and exclusion.