There should be between 15.000 and 20.000 people marching in Berlin on Thursday 22 September in protest against the Pope’s visit to Germany.
This is according to forecasts given by the organisers of the march, directed, on the one hand, at the Catholic Church’s sexual ethics, and on the other, at the speech which Benedict XVI addressed to the Bundestag, the federal government’s lower chamber.
“Our criticisms are not aimed at religion or believers, but at the Pope’s sexual policy, which we believe is misanthropic and discriminatory with regards to homosexuals,” Jörg Steinert, the man in charge of the Berlin and Brandenburg section of the Lesbian and Gay Federation in Germany (LSVD), explained in a press conference in Berlin.
“Furthermore, we are criticising the Pope’s policy on contraception which has devastating consequences, especially in Africa, and his idea of democracy,” Steinert added.
The demonstration will take place as Benedict XVI makes his speech before German MPs.
“We are against the political dimension of this visit: we have nothing against the Pope’s visit to Germany or his celebration of Mass. What we are against, is his speech to the Bundestag, which violates the Constitution; religious leaders have nothing to do with Parliamentary assemblies,” Thomas Hummitzsch, spokesman of the German Humanist Association (HVD) pointed out.
“It is unthinkable that a figure like the Pope should address our Parliament.
According to him, the right to being homosexual does not exist: if a Muslim preacher said such a thing, they would be branded as extremist, if the Pope says it, it’s fine,” Günter Dworek, from LSVD’s national office said.
All individuals taking part in the demonstration have done all that was possible to repudiate any form of violent protest, Robert Kastl of Berlin Christopher Street Day confirmed. Every year, Kastl organises a parade for the rights of homosexuals, bisexuals and transsexuals. However, Kastl added, “we cannot completely exclude the possibility of some troublemakers joining the crowd.”
To prevent the protests getting out of hand, alike they did in Spain, organisers have put together their own security force, composed of about 200 individuals who will bolster the police force.
In the afternoon of 22 September, other demonstrations called by independent groups are expected to take place in Berlin.
These people however, have nothing to do with us and we do not want them to get involved in our march,” Kastl stressed.
For security reasons, Berlin’s administrative court has forbidden demonstrators to gather in front of the Brandenburg Gate, rejecting the appeal made by organisers.
The march should start from Potsdamer Platz (a few hundred metres from the Brandenburg Gate) and finish in front of St. Hedwig’s Cathedral, the headquarters of Berlin’s Archbishop.
Among the organisers of the protest, are gay and lesbian associations, women’s rights groups and sexual independence groups, as well as people representing AIDS prevention, youngsters representing the Green party and Germany’s Social Democratic Party (SPD), and the Central German Council of Ex Muslims.
Organisers have pointed out that participants include both believers and non believers.
Also taking part in the demonstrations, will be a few associations of victims of sexual abuse by priests, and MPs from the SPD and the radical Left Party, Die Linke, which has decided not to follow the Pope’s speech before the Bundestag.
In total, approximately one hundred MPs from the SPD, Linke and the Green parties will boycott Benedict XVI’s speech.