Suche
Mein Konto
Neumünster fights for democracy: tolerance demos without violence!
The Round Table for Tolerance and Democracy in Neumünster fights against right-wing extremism and calls for non-violent demonstrations.
Neumünster fights for democracy: tolerance demos without violence!
In Neumünster it's happening: The Round Table for Tolerance and Democracy (RT) is passionately committed to combating right-wing extremism and has intensively dealt with the role of demonstrations. Since 1997, the RT has been an alliance of representatives of parties, churches, unions and associations in the fight against anti-democratic efforts. Their goal is not only to monitor right-wing extremist activities, but also to actively organize counter-demonstrations. These are usually larger than the respective right-wing extremist parades, which is a positive sign of community cohesion. This is reported by kn-online.de.
In March 2025, due to the appearance of the Antifa “Black Bloc” in January, no counter-demonstration was called, which sparked rich discussions within the RT. The number of counter-demonstrators was small at the time, which led to internal disputes. In order to improve mobilization, the RT steering group has now made a proposal to develop a “demo concept”, which was approved by a large majority. The aim is to promote acceptance and participation among broad sections of the population without propagating hate slogans or a militant demeanor.
New commitment to the steering group
The steering group has also renewed its personnel: Almut Auerbach from the Verdi union was elected as the new chairwoman and succeeds Christof Ostheimer, who was active for 15 years. Dirk Mehrens from the Mittelholstein Business Association takes Ostheimer's place. Other members are Jörgen Breckwoldt (CDU) and Pastor Wolfgang Miether. These changes are based on the motto of carrying your own banner that reflects the RT's goals at the front of the demonstrations and thus sending a clear signal. Those interested can find further information on the RT website: rundertisch-neumuenster.de.
Right-wing extremist mobilization against CSDs
In the broader context, the challenges that queer people in Germany currently have to overcome are alarming. According to democ.de, a total of 232 Christopher Street Day demonstrations (CSD) are planned for 2025, which is the highest number in history. However, right-wing extremist groups have identified these CSDs as targets. In the summer of 2024, there were right-wing extremist anti-CSD demonstrations in 28 cities, which were mainly organized via social media.
The violence committed by neo-Nazis at these events was largely unorganized and spontaneous. Of particular concern is the increase in anti-queer crimes, which rose from 1,785 in 2023 to 2,917 in 2024. The number of transphobic crimes also rose by 24 percent. Actions by groups such as the Identitarian Movement and the AfD counteract “Pride Month” and thus the efforts for diversity and acceptance. The commitment to greater tolerance and against extremism is even more important in these times, as the threat to queer life is still enormous.
The RT Steering Group will continue to work closely with local authorities to create a safe environment and defend the values of tolerance and democracy. The personal and collective responsibility of each individual is viewed as central.