Germany's latest Pride trend? Far-right, anti-LGBTQ+ marches

BERLIN - Pride marches are increasingly targeted by right-wing extremists and neo-Nazi protesters in Germany, with LGBTQ+ activists blaming the rise of the far-right and anti-LGBTQ+ voices in politics.

Germany is ranked among the highest in Europe for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights by ILGA World, a worldwide federation of organisations campaigning on such issues.

But there are fears Germany could also be hit by the wave of anti-LGBTQ+ movements across the continent.

Here is what you need to know.

Where are Pride marches being targeted?

Last year, 27 Pride marches in Germany were targeted by far-right groups, most of them in eastern Germany, according to CeMAS, a non-profit extremism monitoring organisation, which said members of these neo-Nazi groups were often young men.

In the eastern cities of Leipzig and Bautzen, hundreds of far-right protesters tried to disrupt annual LGBTQ+ marches, while police stopped 28 men, half of them minors, who planned to attack last year's Pride march in Berlin.

LGBTQ+ groups fear the trend will continue this summer. Many Pride marches - known in Germany as Christopher Street Day or CSD - across Europe take place during July and August.

Authorities increased the police presence at the LGBTQ+ march in the northeastern town of Eberswalde on June 21 after a diversity festival in a neighbouring town was attacked days earlier.

Police in Berlin also reported an attempted attack at a Pride march in the capital's eastern district of Marzahn two weeks ago, while the western city of Gelsenkirchen cancelled its CSD in May after authorities received a tip-off about an imminent threat.

How are Pride organisers protecting participants?

Activists say increased security measures at Pride events are more important than ever given a rise in anti-LGBTQ+ attacks.

Criminal offences against LGBTQ+ people reached a new high in 2023 with 1,785 incidents reported, according to the latest data available.

"The fact that we have seen so many planned attacks means that we need much more support and cooperation with the police," said Kerstin Thost, a spokesperson for LSVD+, a German LGBTQ+ rights group.

"But also, much more money to develop a security concept and to ensure that people can get to Pride safely, have a good time there and then leave again."

In less LGBTQ-friendly regions in eastern Germany, for example, wearing a rainbow flag or make-up on the way to or from a Pride march can be risky, Thost said.

The Amadeu Antonio Foundation, which campaigns against right-wing extremism, launched a "rainbow protection fund" of 100,000 euros last May to finance security measures at this summer's Pride marches, which are also facing a loss of corporate support.

Why are LGBTQ+ rights increasingly at risk in Germany?

After years of legal changes that led to the legalisation of same-sex marriage, a partial ban on so-called "conversion therapy" and a trans self-determination law, activists say the tables are turning.

Alternative for Germany (AfD), a far-right party that tried to revoke gay marriage and actively campaigns against what it calls gender ideology, won a state election for the first time last year and became the largest opposition party in the federal parliament in February.

"For the first time, we find ourselves in a situation in which we are no longer advocating for more rights, but having to defend what we have already achieved," said Thomas Hoffmann, a member of the board organising Berlin's CSD, which is due to take place at the end of July.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his conservative CDU/CSU bloc have also called for self-ID to be reversed and access to gender-affirming care to be restricted.

The president of the Bundestag, or lower house of parliament, CDU politician Julia Klöckner, said in June that the parliament would not fly the rainbow flag this year, and that parliamentary staff would not be allowed to march as an official group in Berlin's CSD, citing the need for political neutrality.

"What we need here now is a clear signal from politicians that they support us and that they will guarantee our security in this country," Hoffmann said. "Instead, we are experiencing the complete opposite."