Green Party members of the Bundestag have heavily criticized the insufficient handling of the attack on the CSD in Berlin, simultaneously warning against potential cuts to funding programs designed to support queer life.
Konstantin von Notz, Vice-Chairman of the Green faction, told the “Rheinische Post” on Tuesday that “clearly false danger assessments” occurred before the attack. He stated that crucial questions remain unanswered today. Addressing the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI), von Notz added that the BMI has still failed to provide a timeline detailing the exact sequence of events, security-relevant findings about the attacker, or the actions taken by the authorities. He argued this severely complicates and slows down any parliamentary clarification of the incident.
Misbah Khan, Deputy Chair of the Greens, emphasized that the attack on the Berlin CSD was a deliberate assault on the queer community and its right to live openly, freely, and autonomously. She called it “especially shameful” how quickly the federal government moved on from the Islamic extremist attack. Khan asserted that any continued hesitation to close the protection gaps in the Basic Law, while concurrently cutting rather than expanding support for diversity within the “Democracy in Action” program, demonstrated a failure to learn from the frightening incident.
In response, Federal Minister for Family Karin Prien (CDU) announced that she is currently adjusting the federal program for promoting democracy projects. Prien told the “Rheinische Post” that the protection against discrimination remains a core objective of her work. She announced that following the CSD attack in Berlin, she decided that an additional five million euros would be designated within the federal program for extremism prevention, deradicalization, exit, and distancing efforts. Additionally, she noted that Democracy Partnerships will start offering supplementary protection services for vulnerable groups, such as members of the queer community, beginning in 2027.
