Wildeshausen is fighting: Children's shooting festival should be for all children!

Wildeshausen is fighting: Children's shooting festival should be for all children!

In Wildeshausen, a small town in the Oldenburg district, around 300 people gathered on June 13, 2025 to demonstrate for an issue that affects many: the participation of girls in the traditional children's shooting festival. Under the motto “Children's shooting festival for everyone”, the participants protested for an opening of the shooting festivals, which currently only allow boys between the ages of 10 and 14 to take part in children's shooting with crossbows. The “Guild for All” initiative, which was launched in 2024, called for this call.

The reason for the demonstration lies in the strict regulations of the Wildeshauser Schützenguild, which excludes women and girls from the shooting festival. This should change, and many, including Hendrik Boldt, a member of the guild and co-initiator of the initiative, emphasize that traditions should never lead to exclusion. “Wildeshausen showed today that the children’s shooting festival can only have a future if all children can participate equally,” explained a spokesman for the initiative.

Call for equality

Despite the peaceful mood, the atmosphere was sometimes tense as the Rifle Guild had only recently held a vote to change its statutes - but without success. The proposal, which was intended to allow girls to participate, was rejected by a majority at the general meeting in February. This means that the children's shooting festival, which is scheduled to take place on Saturday, will still only be open to boys for crossbow shooting. Since the organizers had originally expected up to 500 participants, the actual number of 300 that was reached showed that the topic affects many people in the community.

The developments in Wildeshausen provide an interesting context for the ongoing discussions about equality and participation on a broader level. In Germany, June is not only the month of the children's shooting festival, but also Pride Month, in which LGBTI communities worldwide fight for their rights and against discrimination. These parallels show that the discussion about inclusion and equality is not a local phenomenon, but is deeply rooted in society.

The concerns of the demonstrators reflect the desire for a society in which everyone has the opportunity to actively participate, regardless of gender or origin. While the LGBTI movement, which originated in the early 20th century, continues to fight for equality and acceptance, the effort to include younger generations in this dialogue remains important. Initiatives like “Guild for All” are instrumental in driving this change.

What happens next remains to be seen. What is certain, however, is that the voices from Wildeshausen must not remain unheard. The future of the tradition could crucially depend on whether all children are given the same opportunities to take a targeted and active part in social life. If that's not good news, what is? Perhaps Wildeshausen could become a good example for other communities in Germany and beyond.

For further information on the ongoing discussions and the LGBTI movement in Germany, we recommend taking a look at the reporting from Buten and inland and Amnesty Germany.