Left Party Leader Accuses Union of 'Undignified Game' After CSD Attack

Left Party chairman Luigi Pantisano has accused the CDU and CSU of exploiting the recent attack on Berlin's Christopher Street Day (CSD) to push for expanded police powers, calling it an 'undignified game.' He argues that the Union parties are instrumentalizing the suffering for their hardliner demands, such as mandatory ankle monitors and preventive detention for threats. Pantisano emphasizes that the perpetrator was an Islamist motivated by hatred of queer people, and that police measures cannot combat hatred or prevent radicalization. He calls for visible political support for the queer community, including flagging the Reichstag and funding educational work. Meanwhile, the Left Party itself faces criticism from the CDU over an Instagram post by its Neukölln district association that blamed 'queer- and transphobic ideology by right-wing and conservative forces' for the attack without mentioning Islamist motives. The post was later corrected, and the Left Party's top candidate apologized. Pantisano counters that conservative politicians cut queer funding and then pose as protectors.