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Peaceful CSD in Cottbus: 800 celebrations against right-wing provocations!
Cottbus celebrates the CSD 2025 peacefully, despite right-wing extremist protests. Over 800 participants demand diversity and security.
Peaceful CSD in Cottbus: 800 celebrations against right-wing provocations!
Christopher Street Day (CSD) took place in Cottbus on Saturday, October 25, 2025, and despite the looming threats from right-wing extremist groups, the event was celebrated peacefully with more than 800 participants. The rally attracted large numbers of people who set a sign of acceptance and diversity with colorful flags and signs with slogans such as “Don’t feel like Nazis” and “Be a human being”. The motto of the CSD was: “United in Peace and Diversity,” which is not only a celebration of queer identity, but also a call for safety for all people, regardless of their sexual orientation. How rbb24 reports, the events commemorate the rights of the queer community and the historic Stonewall uprising of 1969.
Due to announced right-wing extremist protests, the police were present with increased forces from the beginning. These precautions were sorely needed because due to the weather, several of the CSD organizers' rainbow flags at the venue were damaged on Friday evening. The security precautions included a helpline and additional security services to offer participants a safe environment, as well as the Time holds on.
Protests on the other side
The CSD in Cottbus was not without headwinds. About 90 participants in a right-wing extremist counter-assembly group carried flags and a banner that read "No to the CSD! Our city remains heterosexual!" Police acted quickly and checked several people from the anti-CSD parade, while two participants were excluded from the event because they were suspected of inciting crime. In recent years there have been repeated attempts at disruption and violent protests by right-wing extremist groups, which are increasingly threatening queer life in Germany, especially in East Germany. This is done by the daily news perceived as a worrying trend.
The problems for queer life in East Germany are diverse. Here the AfD is the strongest political force in many regions; a circumstance that succinctly underlines the concerns about the safety and visibility of queer events like the CSD. Organizers from other regions have reported similar problems, sometimes including physical attacks. The need to work with security authorities is becoming increasingly important, especially in light of recent attacks on queer people and events.
The message expressed at the CSD in Cottbus is therefore not only a sign of joy and pride, but also an urgent appeal for respect and acceptance at a time when these values are needed more than ever. There is still a long way to go, as past incidents sadly show. But the participation and solidarity of the people in Cottbus give reason to hope that the movement for the rights of queer people will continue to gain momentum, even beyond large cities.