Berlin Senator Cansel Kızıltpe will convene the Roundtable Against Anti-Queer Hostility with an extraordinary agenda at the end of August, following the CSD attack. Kızıltpe also called on Chancellor Friedrich Merz to establish a similar mechanism at the federal level.

In Berlin, the capital of Germany, political and social steps are gaining momentum following the terrorist attack targeting the Christopher Street Day (CSD) event. Berlin State Senator for Anti-Discrimination and Diversity, Cansel Kızıltpe, announced that she would convene the Roundtable Against Anti-Queer Hostility with an extraordinary agenda at the end of August.

Kızıltpe also demanded the establishment of a similar "Roundtable" at the federal level to combat anti-queer hate crimes, in a letter sent to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

"Talk with the queer community, not about them"

Senator Cansel Kızıltpe emphasized that following the attack on CSD, many political statements were made publicly, but the queer community was not sufficiently involved in decision-making processes.

Kızıltpe stated the following:

"After the terrorist attack, politicians from all parties are calling for swift measures. However, the queer community is being talked about, not with. This is unacceptable. The voice, demands, and suggestions of the queer community must absolutely be included in all future political decision-making processes."

Security and Hate Crimes to be Discussed

Representatives of the queer community, civil society organizations, associations, and Berlin Interior Senator Iris Spranger will be invited to the extraordinary meeting.

At the meeting, particularly security policies, combating hate crimes, new measures for the protection of queer individuals, and concrete steps to be taken after the attack will be discussed.

Berlin Model Cited as Example for Federal Government

In Berlin, the "Roundtable for Protection Against Anti-Queer Hate Crimes" was established in 2024. Following a comprehensive consultation process that lasted approximately two years and involved 400 people, Berlin's queer security strategy was prepared.

Kızıltpe, requesting that this model also be implemented throughout Germany, included the following views in her letter sent to Chancellor Friedrich Merz:

  • that anti-queer violence has reached deadly proportions,
  • that legal equality must be guaranteed in the German Constitution,
  • that the initiative to add the phrase "sexual identity" to Article 3 of the Basic Law (Grundgesetz) must be supported,
  • that the direct involvement of the queer community in political discussions conducted at the national level is essential.

"Merz Must Make Protection a State Policy"

Kızıltpe stated that Chancellor Friedrich Merz should not merely content himself with messages of condolence, and made the following call:

"Chancellor Merz must make the protection and equal rights of queer individuals a priority state policy at the national level. If he is sincere in his sorrow over the attack, he must invite queer associations and civil society representatives to a Roundtable Meeting to be held at the Federal Chancellery."

The initiative of the Berlin Senate brought the discussions regarding taking new steps in both security and legal equality against anti-queer hate crimes in Germany back to the top of the agenda.