BERLIN, July 23. (DPA/EP) –
The great Berlin Pride Parade, also known as Christopher Street Day, started this Saturday in the German capital in a festive atmosphere after two years of suspensions due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The march, in which the organizers expected up to half a million participants throughout the day, began at local noon with a rally and a shower of confetti at Sittelmarkt, in the Berlin neighborhood of Mitte.
The festive demonstration in favor of tolerance and diversity will travel 7.4 kilometers through various neighborhoods of Berlin to end in front of the historic Brandenburg Gate.
Berlin’s Christopher Street Day, as it is known locally, is one of the biggest events for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ+) community in Europe.
The participants demand that action be taken against violence and discrimination and, at the same time, celebrate a mega summer party and simply have fun. The motto of the parade this year is “United in love. Against hate, war and discrimination.”
Some 96 vehicles and at least 80 groups on foot from all over the world* joined the parade, according to the organizers, this is the largest presence in its 44 editions throughout history. Among them were people from Ukraine, which has been fighting the Russian invasion for five months.
This morning, the German Parliament (Bundestag) hoisted the rainbow flag for the first time in its history, which with its six colored stripes is considered a symbol of the queer community and represents tolerance.
One of these flags flies on the southwest tower of the Berlin Reichstag building, seat of the German Parliament, two others were hoisted in front of the building’s east and west portals.
The Foreign Ministry and other institutions, such as the Ministry of the Interior or the Ministry of Defense, also expressed their position in favor of diversity and tolerance by placing rainbow flags on the facades.
The German Ministry of the Interior officially granted permission in April to fly the rainbow flag in front of or on federal official buildings on certain occasions.
The president of the Bundestag, Bärbel Bas, announced in June the raising of the flag on the Reichstag building, explaining that this significantly increases the visibility of the commitment to diversity.
The International Day of Pride called “Pride” (in English) remembers in various parts of the world what happened in New York in 1969, when the Police stormed the Stonewall Inn bar on Christopher Street, unleashing demonstrations and riots for several days by the LGBT community, in repudiation of persecution.
Add Comment