Kai Wegner (r, CDU), Governing Mayor of Berlin, Alexander Scheid (M), State Executive Director of the Lesbian and Gay Association (LSVD), and Cansel Kiziltepe (SPD), Senator for Labour, Social Affairs, Equality, Integration, Diversity and Anti-Discrimination of the State of Berlin, have jointly raised the rainbow flag in front of the Red Town Hall.
© dpa
The rainbow flag is flying again in front of the Red Town Hall in Berlin: On the occasion of Pride Weeks, Berlin's new governing mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) raised the flag on Monday morning.
"Berlin is the colourful rainbow capital. We are proud of that," said the politician. Social and labour senator Cansel Kiziltepe (SPD) and the state executive director of the Lesbian and Gay Association, Alexander Scheid, were also present at the symbolic raising of the flag.
Next weekend (15-16 July), the Lesbian and Gay Festival will take place in Schöneberg. The highlight of the following week is the big Christopher Street Day Parade (CSD) through Berlin on 22 July. The organisers expect hundreds of thousands of visitors around the 7.4 kilometre route. The demonstration, which starts at Leipziger Straße between Charlotten- and Axel-Springer-Straße, will be opened by Mayor Wegner.
The Berlin CSD is one of the largest events of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex and queer community in Europe. Last year, the organisers estimate that around 600,000 people took part in the CSD. The police put the number of participants at around 350,000. According to the Lesbian and Gay Association, Berlin's district offices, numerous senate administrations and the member organisations in the Alliance against Homophobia also set a sign with the rainbow flag during the Pride Weeks.