German Chancellor and CDU party leader Friedrich Merz is facing significant backlash from his political opponents after rejecting calls to fly a Pride flag at the Bundestag, which he said was "not a circus tent where any flag could be hoisted".
In an appearance on public broadcaster ARD on Tuesday, Merz defended his party's lawmakers and Bundestag President Julia Klöckner — who previously declined to display the rainbow flag for Christopher Street Day on 26 July — saying the banner should only be flown on 17 May, the International Day Against Homophobia.
"On all other days, the German flag and the European flag are flown at the German Bundestag and no other. And this decision is the right one," he said.
In Germany, Christopher Street Day is observed in memory of the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York — the first major LGBTQ+ community uprising against persecution — and is typically marked by Pride events across the country.
In previous years, the rainbow flag was displayed at the Bundestag building during Pride events, and prior chancellors have participated in Christopher Street Day celebrations.
Merz's words have sparked considerable criticism from the opposition. Sophie Koch, the government's queer commissioner and centre-left SPD lawmaker questioned whether the statement implied LGBTQ+ community were "circus animals".
Green Party leader in the Bundestag, Katharina Dröge, stated that the rainbow flag represents "a group that is increasingly affected by hostility, violence and hatred" and thus has its place in parliament.
Green-led lawmakers also staged a protest in the Bundestag chamber, wearing clothes that collectively formed the rainbow flag.
