German groups planning to protest against Pope Benedict when he
visits Berlin later this month said on Monday they will challenge a decision
by local authorities banning them from holding rallies anywhere near
where he will speak.
The German-born pontiff will begin his
Sept. 22-25 German tour in Berlin before continuing to Erfurt and
Freiburg. Anti-Pope rallies are expected in all three cities, where many
are unhappy about his conservative views on birth control, abortion and
the rights of homosexuals.
A Berlin alliance of 54 groups, led
by the German Gay and Lesbian Association (LSVD), wants to stage its
rally in front of the Brandenburg Gate -- about 300 meters from the
parliament building where the Pope will speak.
The organisers expect
about 20,000 demonstrators to take to the streets.
"It must be
possible to hold a peaceful demonstration within ear-shot of the
Bundestag," said LSVD director Joerg Steinert. The association has
spoken out against the decision to allow the Pope to speak in the
Bundestag.
Whereas thousands of demonstrators marched in Madrid
earlier this month against the cost of the Pope's visit, the German
protests are chiefly aimed at the Vatican's conservative views,
organisers said.
Local officials rejected their application but offered two alternative sites further away from the government quarter.
"We're going to fight to be able to hold the rally there," said Pascal
Ferro, a spokesman for the LSVD. He said they had not given up hope of
holding the rally at the Brandenburg Gate, which has become a symbol of
German unity after being surrounded by the Berlin Wall during the Cold
War.
The protesters are not the first to be banned from holding
an event at the site.
As a U.S. presidential candidate in 2008, Barack
Obama had his request to speak at the Brandenburg Gate rejected by the
German government, which deemed it inappropriate to use the monument for
a campaign rally.
Obama ended up speaking 2 km away before a crowd of
200,000.
The protesters want to rally at the Brandenburg Gate at the same time Pope Benedict is due to address parliament.
Officials gave no explanation for the ban.
When Benedict's predecessor,
John Paul, visited Berlin in 1996 he faced hecklers who hurled abuse
and made obscene gestures as he made his way by Popemobile to the
Brandenburg Gate for a farewell ceremony.
Some shouted "Go to
hell" and "Get lost" while a naked woman protester streaked in front of
the glass-sided Popemobile.
Some media reports said the vehicle was also
hit by eggs or tomatoes.
Hans Langendoerfer, a German Jesuit
and the secretary of the German conference of Catholic Bishops, said
there were concerns that the demonstrations could turn violent this time
round too.
"I'm worried that there are some violent people out
there who will attempt to take advantage of the peaceful demonstration
and thus counter the purpose," he told Focus magazine.
But he added:
"Free speech is an important concern for the Church."