Police union: Better protect CSD from attacks

Following right-wing extremist protests at Christopher Street Day (CSD) in Bautzen in eastern Saxony, the police union (GdP) is calling for closer coordination with organizers to protect against attacks. "The actual CSD demonstrations are well organized and protected by the police in close coordination with the organizers," said GdP chairman Jochen Kopelke to the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND/Saturday.)

"It is more difficult to protect the arrival and departure and events in the vicinity of a CSD when the community meets in clubs or elsewhere in the evening after a demonstration," the trade unionist pointed out. The police know where registered gatherings take place, but in case of doubt they do not know where the participants go to party afterwards. Kopelke appealed to the organizers of the CSD: "Talk to the police in advance, then we can protect them better."

CSD in Leipzig on Saturday

In Bautzen, more than 1,000 people took part in the CSD procession a week ago. Around 680 people from the far-right camp and neo-Nazi groups gathered at the same time. The CSD organizers canceled a planned closing party for security reasons. A CSD is due to take place in Leipzig today. Right-wing extremist groups reportedly called for protests there too.

Change in assembly law demanded

The GdP called for changes to the assembly laws in the federal states to provide better protection for events such as the CSD. A tougher police crackdown is often expected, but this is not possible with the current assembly laws in most federal states, said Kopelke. "We are therefore calling for a uniform and more restrictive nationwide assembly law that enables the police to intervene more quickly in assemblies."

Christopher Street Day takes place every year in many cities around the world and commemorates events on June 28, 1969 in New York: police officers stormed the "Stonewall Inn" bar on Christopher Street, triggering several days of protests by gays, lesbians and trans people. The CSD is intended to commemorate their rights.