Vote for Love': Magdeburg Pride crowds challenge AfD ahead of election

MAGDEBURG, Germany, Aug 22 - Several thousand people gathered for the annual pride parade in Saxony-Anhalt's capital Magdeburg on Saturday to show support for LGBT rights ahead of an election in the eastern German state that the far right Alternative for Germany is expected to win.

This year's Christopher Street Day celebration is taking place amid heightened security after last month's deadly vehicle attack on Berlin Pride.

AfD is comfortably ahead in polls leading up to the September 6 vote that could see the first far-right party take power at a state level since the Nazi era.

In its "Vision 2026" election manifesto, the AfD advocates for what it calls the "traditional family model" of a man and a woman as the societal norm in schools — even as national party co-leader Alice Weidel is raising two children with her female partner.

"For me, it was especially important to be here after the attack in Berlin, to show that we won’t just vanish into thin air and that we don’t have to hide," said Elias, an attendee at Saturday's event, who didn't give his last name.

Elias said he faced a lot more difficulties in Saxony-Anhalt as a trans person than in his native Austria.

"It starts with just wanting to use public restrooms and goes all the way to finding doctors who’ll prescribe my hormones," he said, adding, "I don’t expect things to get any better with the AfD."

Under the motto "Vote for Love," about 3,000 people draped in Pride flags and rainbow gear came out to support the industrial city's gay community.

The event is being held for the first time at the Domplatz square, in front of the state parliament, both to increase political visibility and because organisers considered the site easier to secure.

Several parties had tents at the square, underlining the event's political significance, though the AfD was absent.

"The AfD is becoming increasingly specific about its aims, and it all feels more and more threatening — worse, clearer, and more concrete," said Annika, a Magdeburg resident who also only gave her first name.

The attack on Berlin Pride resonated for many in Magdeburg, whose historic Christmas market was the site of a 2024 car ramming that killed six people and injured several hundred.

Police closed the surrounding area to car traffic on Saturday and deployed barriers and groups of officers on site as part of heightened measures. REUTERS

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