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Shock in Dallgow: Rainbow flag in front of town hall lit again!
In Havelland, the rainbow flag in Dallgow-Döberitz was set on fire, which led to investigations by the state security service.
Shock in Dallgow: Rainbow flag in front of town hall lit again!
In the small community of Dallgow-Döberitz in Havelland, a fire broke out on the rainbow flag that was flying in front of the town hall on Sunday morning. The Havelland police station discovered the badly damaged flag around 6:30 a.m. and is now initiating investigations into incitement to hatred and damage to property. The criminal police took over further investigations on site. Interestingly, this is not the first incident of this kind, as the flag was set on fire on the same night in June 2023. In addition, about a year later, the flag, which is an important symbol of the rights of the LGBTQI* community, was stolen.
The community hung up the rainbow flag as part of “Pride Month” to draw attention to the disadvantages faced by queer people. “This is a very bad symbol for our community,” said community spokesman David Orlob after the incident. However, he emphasizes that this is primarily an isolated case. Nevertheless, the fears in the community are palpable, as complaints about the flag had previously appeared in a Facebook group.
A protest and new hopes
On Sunday itself, just one day after the incident, around 50 people gathered in front of the town hall to take a stand against discrimination. Brandenburg's Integration Minister Ursula Nonnemacher from the Greens was also among the participants. The demonstrators demanded that such attacks should not go unpunished. There will even be a new rainbow flag, which will be hoisted next Thursday at 6 p.m. as part of a campaign by the local council and municipal administration. In this way, the Dallgowers show that they will not be intimidated.
These incidents are not unique to Dallgow, as similar attacks on rainbow flags are not an isolated case in Brandenburg. “A flag was recently torn down in Rüdersdorf near Berlin,” reports the Daily Mirror, while in Potsdam a man took a flag that was hanging in front of the town hall.
This incident also sheds light on the current political situation in Germany. The federal government recently presented a new concept that promotes the inclusion of LGBTI people in foreign policy and development cooperation. “One of our goals is to strengthen the rights of LGBTI people,” says a state minister. This commitment could be particularly important in the context of increasing discrimination, such as that experienced in Dallgow. The visibility and protection of this community must be strengthened so that such incidents do not become normal.
It will be all the more important that society stands together and shows such signs of solidarity. It remains to be hoped that the new flag will not only fly in Dallgow, but will also be a strong signal of tolerance and respect.
The Havelland police station is asking for citizens' help if they have information about possible perpetrators. You can contact the police station directly to shed light on the matter.