The Chancellor of Germany, criticized after a joke about the Pride parade. “It's not a circus tent”
Friedrich Merz. Photo credit: Christoph Soeder / DPA / Profimedia
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz faced critics on Wednesday, because he said that the rainbow flag should not be flown to the Bundestag for the Pride parade that runs annually in Berlin, as the Parliament “is not a circus,” AFP reports.
Julia Kloeckner, the new conservative president of the German Parliament, announced in May that the rainbow flag will not be flown in Bundestag during the event on July 26, known as Christopher Street (CSD).
From now on, she said, the rainbow flag will be flown once a year at this building, for the International Day against homophobia, celebrated on May 17.
The flag has been flown for the CSD parade in Berlin in the mandate of its social-democratic predecessor, starting in 2022.
This year's decision has aroused the dissatisfaction of LGBTQ rights, being criticized by opposition politicians, from green and the extreme left -linke.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz defended the decision on Tuesday, saying that the German Parliament “is not a circus tent where any flag can be flown.”
In an interview with ARD radio station, the German leader said that there is one day a year in which the rainbow flag should be flown in Bundestag.
“In all the other days, the German flag and the European flag, and no other flag are flown. And this decision is correct,” he stressed.
LSVD, an important German organization for the rights of Queer people, accused Merz of insulting the LGBTQ community by his “gaf”.
“The rainbow flag is not a circus object, but a universal symbol of diversity and human rights,” said Andre Lehmann, member of the Board of Directors, for the radio ZDF.
“I would like to remind the chancellor that he is talking about a group that was persecuted by the Nazis,” Lehmann added.
Sophie Koch, the Commissioner of the Government for issues related to the LGBTQ community, said that the rainbow flag during the Berlin Pride march would have represented “a strong commitment from the state” to protect LGBTQ rights.
“An understanding of this would be suitable for a federal chancellor,” she concluded.
