A Pride event in the southern German city of Regensburg is to be reorganized due to an “abstract risk situation,” organizers told dpa on Tuesday.
“There was a written threat,” said organizer Alexander Irmisch, adding that the safety of participants and security personnel must be prioritized.
The Christopher Street Day (CSD) parade, due to be held on July 5, is to be shortened, with an additional rally to be held on the city’s Domplatz square.
CSD is used in Germany to refer to Pride celebrations for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT+) community.
It is a reference to the location of the Stonewall Inn in New York City’s Greenwich Village neighbourhood, where a protest against police discrimination on June 28, 1969, kick-started the gay liberation movement.
CSD events have come under attack in Germany in recent years, with one event in the western city of Gelsenkirchen being cancelled shortly before the planned start in May due to an alleged risk.
“We have seen a massive increase in online threats,” Kai Bölle, board member of the CSD Germany association, recently told dpa.
Far-right groups are also increasingly calling for counter-demonstrations at CSD events.
Following discussions with the police and city officials, the organizers of the Regensburg rally decided independently to change the plans for the event, the city administration said.
Irmisch said “caving in” to threats “cannot be a permanent solution.”
“But for this year, it is important to me, that we make it safe,” he added.