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Neubrandenburg sets an example: Citizens' Council for Tolerance and Diversity founded!
Neubrandenburg establishes Citizens' Council for Diversity and Tolerance to actively shape social issues and promote citizen participation.
Neubrandenburg sets an example: Citizens' Council for Tolerance and Diversity founded!
The city of Neubrandenburg is cosmopolitan and diverse. As part of a new citizens' council, citizens of the city were invited to actively participate in shaping public life. Between June and July 2025, valuable discussions about tolerance, diversity and acceptance took place in three meetings. An exciting format that represents the voices of 25 randomly selected Neubrandenburgers. Anyone who thinks that these numbers are only for statisticians is wrong: this is about living community and real concerns of the population.
The Citizens' Council, which was recruited from 285 invited people from the population register, aims to reflect social diversity. The selection was based on age, gender, place of residence and nationality in order to present a balanced picture. The first sessions focused on getting to know each other. Personal experiences and values were exchanged in moderated small groups, which also contributed to the formulation of recommendations and ideas by July 1, 2025, which are to be handed over to the city administration on July 23.
A citizens' assembly in turbulent times
The reason for the citizens' assembly was an incident that caused a stir: the removal of the rainbow flag in front of the Neubrandenburg train station. This flag is considered an important symbol of tolerance and acceptance of diversity. The request for removal came from Councilor Tim Großmüller, supported by the AfD and other groups, which led to turbulent discussions and even resulted in the resignation of Mayor Silvio Witt. Witt explained that the pressure on his personal environment had become unbearable.
The Neubrandenburg city council had already reacted in November 2024 and commissioned the city administration to develop a concept for a cosmopolitan Neubrandenburg. The Citizens' Assembly found great support at the main committee meeting on January 23, 2025. Now the chances for new perspectives and more citizen participation seem great, despite concerns from critics who preferred other topics such as security and order. The majority of the city council is hoping for positive impulses from the citizens' council.
Effectiveness and support of citizens' councils
The concept of citizens' councils has become more and more established in Germany, and also in Neubrandenburg, in recent years. How tagesschau.de reports, citizens' assemblies have been working on important political recommendations for over 50 years. In Neubrandenburg it is once again evident that such formats help to pool opinions and make the diversity of society visible.
In addition, the process is supported by the independent team from the “Citizens' Councils for MV” project, and financing is provided by the Partnership for Democracy Neubrandenburg and the Ministry of Social Affairs, Health and Sport Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. In order to offer the participants compensation for their expenses, the citizens' council members each received 150 euros. These measures not only support participation, but also increase motivation to actively participate in shaping the city.
Overall, the Citizens' Council reflects the commitment of citizens to actively shape their city and deal with important issues. Neubrandenburg shows that with a little courage and determination you can set the course for a diverse and tolerant community.