Critical SPD deputies voiced disapproval over the Bundestag's refusal to approve the CSD.
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MPs from the SPD group in the Bundestag have vented their dissent against the Bundestag President, Julia Klöckner (CDU), over the decision to bar the queer group of the Bundestag administration from partaking in the 2023 Berlin Christopher Street Day (CSD). In a scathing letter to Klöckner and the Bundestag director, six MPs — Sonja Eichwede, Carmen Wegge, Dagmar Schmidt, Sebastian Fiedler, Falko Droßmann, and Jasmina Hostert — voiced their "profound bewilderment" towards the ban imposed upon them.
"We view this as an erroneous and, regretfully, perilous decision in the current socio-political climate," the letter asserted. Eichwede and Schmidt are deputy faction leaders, Wegge is the spokesperson for legal affairs, Fiedler for the interior, Hostert for education and family, and Droßmann for queer politics.
The Berlin CSD e.V. had earlier announced that the Bundestag's rainbow network would be participating in the CSD during 2023 and 2024. However, the planned foot group has now been rescinded, following orders from the administration's top brass. According to the parliament, the Bundestag director had ruled that, due to their obligation to maintain neutrality, the Bundestag administration as a whole would not participate in political demonstrations or public assemblies. Nonetheless, individual employees are welcome to attend the CSD.
In response, the MPs' letter, obtained by the German Press Agency, finds the reasoning behind the ban particularly baffling. After all, the CSD emphasizes the values enshrined in the Basic Law, which includes human dignity and the prohibition of discrimination.
"We, therefore, implore you to reconsider this decision and sanction the Bundestag administration's inclusion in this year's CSD in Berlin," the MPs appealed. Previously, MPs from the Greens and Left parties had also urged Klöckner, citing the mounting pressure faced by queer people. Between June and September of 2024, the federal government registered 22 protests against public CSD parades, with the radical, right-wing extremists spearheading the protests.
References:
[1] ntv.de
[2] dpa
[3] Details and insights derived from enrichment data provided.
The MPs from SPD, including deputy faction leaders Sonja Eichwede and Dagmar Schmidt, along with spokespersons for legal affairs, interior, education and family, and queer politics, have penned a letter in opposition to the Bundestag President's decision to bar the queer group from participating in the 2023 Berlin Christopher Street Day (CSD). They find the rationale behind the ban perplexing, considering the CSD promotes values enshrined in the Basic Law, such as human dignity and the prohibition of discrimination. The MPs are advocating for a reconsideration of this decision and the inclusion of the Bundestag administration in the CSD, citing the importance of policy-and-legislation regarding general-news issues like politics and employment policy, particularly in a socio-political climate that affects the queer community.
