Queer community – CSD balance sheet in Saxony-Anhalt: Targeted actions from the right – business

Magdeburg (dpa/sa) – The organizers of the Christopher Street Days in Saxony-Anhalt have found themselves increasingly confronted with targeted actions from the right this year. There were more prepared, intensive actions, says Falko Jentsch, board member of Christopher Street Days Saxony-Anhalt. Some of the actions were much more organized than in previous years.

A total of ten Christopher Street Days will take place in Saxony-Anhalt this year. The results are mixed, says Jentsch. This year, many regional companies and anti-fascist groups also took part in the parades. “You can tell that the CSD is not an event for a fringe group.” Incidents last year in Weißenfels, for example, or this year in Bautzen, Saxony, also meant that interested visitors sometimes stayed away from events this year. New groups such as “Grandmas Against the Right” have emerged.

Butyric acid should prevent CSD

Jentsch said that there were massive calls for right-wing actions at the CSD on social networks across Germany. In Wernigerode, for example, rainbow flags were stolen in the week before the CSD. They were then smeared and deliberately re-attached the night before the CSD. In Köthen, unknown people sprayed the market square with butyric acid the night before the event and distributed nails and screws over a large area. All of this is having an impact, says Jentsch. It may be that there are partial cancellations and authorities or businesses that have hung rainbow flags in the past have become more cautious.

According to the organizers, around 17,000 people took part in the various CSDs in the country this year. This is about as many people as the year before.

© dpa-infocom, dpa:240928-930-246021/1