Dresden (dpa/sn) - Thousands of people marched through Dresden on Saturday at Christopher Street Day (CSD) with rainbow flags and in colorful costumes and clothes for tolerance and against discrimination. "Creating a climate of mutual acceptance is a task for the whole country and all social groups," said Social Affairs Minister Petra Köpping (SPD) at the opening. This unmistakable message must be brought to all those who still disregard the rights of so-called LGBTTIQ people, who exclude and discriminate against them. "This has to end," she demanded.
According to Köpping, the traditional street festival in the state capital brings together people who want to stand up for a tolerant and cosmopolitan Dresden. At the same time, the CSD is "an important mouthpiece for bringing the concerns of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, transgender, intersexual and queer people into society".
A week after the fatal attack on a 25-year-old at a Christopher Street Day meeting in Münster (North Rhine-Westphalia), things remained peaceful in Dresden, according to the police there were no incidents. A 20-year-old is said to have insulted and threatened several women in a way that was anti-queer in Münster and then hit the man who intervened with his fist. The 25-year-old fell to the ground, hit his head on the asphalt and died days later from the serious injuries.
