Following the alleged Islamist attack on the CSD in Berlin, the SPD parliamentary group is calling for a nuanced perspective on Islam and greater support for queer Muslims. Sebastian Roloff, the group’s deputy spokesperson for queer politics, told the Funke media group that queer Muslims were present in the crowd on Saturday. He stated that they are being threatened by Islamists and are subsequently being collectively implicated. The SPD spokesperson further added that what makes this act even more distressing is that queer people are being used as arguments following such attacks-by people who never supported us otherwise. He criticized those who consistently rejected equal rights and who campaign against “gender ideology,” adding, “We are not your witnesses.”
Roloff expressed sorrow that CSDs have required enhanced security for some time. He pointed out that the Berlin CSD was secured, but the incident occurred outside its protected area. While the large Berlin CSD has a police cordon, smaller local events do not, yet these events are constantly threatened by neo-Nazis on the street. According to Roloff, the incident on Saturday was an attack committed because people were celebrating where they are and demonstrating for equal rights. He concluded by saying, “Our thoughts are with the victim, her relatives, and the numerous injured.”
