Felix Banaszak, the chairman of the Green Party, has called upon men to participate in a demonstration against male violence on Ascension Day. The proposed rally is scheduled for this Thursday at the Brandenburg Gate.
Speaking to Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland, Banaszak stated that while the fight against violence against women must still be primarily led by women, he emphasized that the issue is not solely a women’s problem, but one rooted mostly in men. “Therefore, men finally have to be louder” he stressed.
Banaszak expressed his hope that large numbers of men would join the march-including students, fathers, colleagues, ministers, and even the Chancellor. He added that a clear public demonstration of solidarity with women would be beneficial for Friedrich Merz.
In Berlin, the community initiative “Maennergegengewalt” is organizing a protest titled “Men Against Violence” for Ascension Day. The initiative wrote on Instagram that by demonstrating, they aim to replace typical Father’s Day or Man’s Day celebrations marked by alcohol and sexualized harassment, with a collective symbol of solidarity for “Flinta”. According to the police, up to 1,000 participants have registered for the event. Flinta is an acronym representing women, lesbians, intersex, non-binary, and transgender individuals.
