Tobias Schwarz / AFP
The German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, in Berlin, on July 2, 2025.
International – Fury within the opposition and LGBT+associations. Chancellor Friedrich Merz is under the fire of criticism this Wednesday, July 2 for having supported the refusal to hoist the rainbow flag on the Bundestag during the march of pride in Berlin, explaining that the parliament is not “Not a circus marquee”.
In an interview on Tuesday on ARD public television, Friedrich Merz had defended the decision of the president of the Bundestag, Christian Democrat like him, not to hoist the rainbow flag on the pediment of the Parliament, on July 26, unlike other years. “This is the right decision (…) The Bundestag is not a circus marquee, where you can hoist flags as we see fit”said Friedrich Merz said.
The main LGBT+association, the managers of homosexual questions within the German government, thus elected officials from the center and the left, including in the majority, condemned the words of the conservative manager.
And “Group persecuted under National Socialism”
To justify her refusal, the president of the Bundestag, Julia Klöckner, said that she had already hoisted the rainbow flag on May 17, an international day against homophobia.
Queer people do “Integral part of our society” and the rainbow flag on the Bundestag would have been “A powerful state commitment” For their protection, regretted the managers of homosexual questions in the government, Sophie Koch.
Reproaching Friedrich Merz a “Dischage”, The main LGBT+ association stressed that the rainbow flag was “A universal symbol of diversity and human rights”. “I remind the Chancellor that he is talking about a group persecuted under National Socialism and which has long been repressed and criminalized” Including the time of the FRG (1949-1990) added to ZDF Andre Lehman, president of the LSVD federation.
Within the left opposition, even fury. Friedrich Merz A “The talent to be careful about blunder and hit people”assembled the head of the Greens Parliamentary Group, Britta Hasselmann, on the social network X.
A spokesman for the German government, Sebastian Hille, replied Wednesday that the chancellor “Had clearly stressed the importance of the pride march”. It’s a “Important event for diversity” And the rights of gay people, lesbians and queer, he said, during a regular press point, “It is precisely these objectives that the government supports”.
Created following Stonewall riots in the United States in 1969, pride marches are generally organized each year around June, the month of LGBT+pride, all over the world.
