The annual Christopher Street Day (CSD) parade has begun in Berlin. The procession set off on Saturday at midday, marching through the center of the German capital. Police said 2,200 officers were deployed to ensure a "safe, colorful and peaceful celebration." Organizers expected several hundred thousand participants, describing the event as one of the largest gatherings for diversity and human rights in Europe.
Under the slogan "Haltung ist hot" ("Attitude Is Hot"), 83 vehicles and 55 walking groups were set to move through the center of the capital. The parade route leads via Potsdamer Platz to the Victory Column (Siegessäule), after which a show programme begins at the Brandenburg Gate across eight stages.
At Potsdamer Platz station, Berlin police said they checked "15 people from a suspected right-wing group" around midday. One of the individuals was reportedly carrying a "prohibited item," police said, without providing further details.
The annually organized CSD rallies commemorate June 28, 1969, when police raided the gay bar Stonewall Inn in New York. The raid triggered days of clashes with activists, an event regarded as the birth of the modern gay and lesbian movement.
With the motto "Haltung ist hot" (Taking a Stand Is Hot) this year's Berlin CSD aims, according to organizers, to place "democracy, social cohesion and the future of a cosmopolitan city" at the center of attention. The campaign slogan was, they explained, "deliberately formulated as a positive invitation to take a stand." The campaign is also understood, they said, "as a response to growing hostility toward queer people, as well as to societal polarization and the pressure on democratic values."
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