Several cities in East Germany held gay parades yesterday, with most of the events accompanied by increased police presence due to the counter-demonstrations of far-right activists and fears of the outbreak of riots, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
Pride marches were held today in Wismar, Frankfurt am Oder, Halle and Eisenach.
In Wismar there were heated arguments, but in other cities the gay parades went off without a hitch. It was the first pride in the port city on the Baltic Sea, and according to the police, there were about 2,000 participants. At the same time, about 150 far-right activists joined the counter-demonstration. The two groups diverged in the center of Wismar, where a large number of law enforcement officers were stationed.
Several pride marches this year were marked by aggression and violence caused by far-right counter-demonstrators, with the most serious incidents in Bautzen and Leipzig.