CSD in Eberswalde: Hundreds of celebrations celebrate diversity despite AfD disorder!

CSD in Eberswalde: Hundreds of celebrations celebrate diversity despite AfD disorder!

Eberswalde, Brandenburg, Deutschland - On June 21, 2025, Eberswalde celebrated the Christopher Street Day (CSD) with a colorful parade for diversity and the right queer. Hundreds of participants made their way from the station forecourt over the Eisenbahnstrasse and the market square to the park on Weidedamm. The organizers expected around 1500 to 2000 people, which represents a significant increase to the approximately 1000 participants of the first CSD in the previous year. In doing so, they set a clear sign of tolerance and visibility, despite the adverse circumstances that have repeatedly made headlines in the past few weeks.

parallel to the CSD, a summer festival of the AfD took place on the marketplace, but was rather lean with fewer than 100 participants. While the demonstration train passed the AfD event, an increased police presence ensured that there were no incidents. The police reported a peaceful course of the event, which made no missions necessary. The background to these special security measures was a violent attack on a multi -fold festival in Bad Freienwalde, in which two people were injured. The state bodies have caused these incidents to increase their emergency services noticeably to ensure the safety of the participants.

peaceful protest and challenges

The police commitment in Eberswalde was also underpinned by the recent statistics on crimes against queer people. In Brandenburg, the attacks increased significantly in 2024 - from 68 cases in the previous year to 118, which means an increase of around 74 percent. The organizers of the CSD wanted to counter this sad trend by making a strong sign of acceptance and equality.

Brandenburg's police chief Oliver Stepien was personally on site to observe the situation and pay respect for the emergency services. "Now even more so" - with this motto, the organizing members of the queer community remained undeterred and celebrated despite the tense situation. As in other cities of Brandenburg, further CSDs are already on the program: In July, events in Falkensee, Wittenberge, Luckenwalde, Neuruppin, Bad Belzig and Bernau near Berlin are planned.

A look at the social tensions

The atmosphere around the CSD events was not only shaped by a party mood. In view of the increasing attacks on the Queere Community in Germany, CSDs are increasingly accompanied by tensions. In Berlin-Marzahn, a demonstration of the right-wing extremist scene is registered against a "pride parade", and groups of young right-wing extremists call for counter-actions. The AfD's attempt to prohibit rainbow flags on public buildings also shows how polarizes society is in this field.

Nevertheless, the queer community remains active and visible. The organizers of the Eberswalder Parade emphasize that despite all the adversities, one stands together and enter for your own rights, regardless of how challenging the circumstances may be. In this sense, Eberswalde shows that diversity can and should be celebrated, and it becomes clear: Solidarity creates change.

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