The city of Neubrandenburg no longer wants to fly a rainbow flag at the train station – and Mayor Silvio Witt announces his resignation. Now he has explained his move.
Silvio Witt, non-party mayor of the city of Neubrandenburg, has had enough and is planning to resign from his office early. In May 2025 he will step down as head of the third largest city in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the 46-year-old announced via Facebook. Now he has commented on the reasons.
The reason for the move was a decision by the Neubrandenburg city council, the local parliament. Their MPs have decided that the rainbow flag should no longer be flown at the city’s train station. Because of repeated attacks on the flag – in the past, unknown persons had replaced it several times with a flag with a swastika – the decision was necessary.
Rainbow spectacle
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Rainbow flag in Neubrandenburg replaced with a swastika flag
According to media reports, the Neubrandenburg entrepreneur Tim Großmüller, who is also a non-party, made the application from the Stable Citizens for Neubrandenburg voter group. He demanded that “the city’s coat of arms no longer be used in conjunction with the rainbow flag.”
For more than 40 years, the rainbow flag has stood in Germany and internationally as a symbol of the acceptance and equality of people who do not identify with traditional role models of men and women or other norms relating to gender and sexuality. Lesbians, gays, bisexuals and trans people use the flag as an identification symbol.
In recent years, Mayor Witt has spoken out in favor of a cosmopolitan and tolerant city of Neubrandenburg – among other things, he took over the patronage of Christopher Street Day events. The 45-year-old also appeared on social media with the rainbow flag.
“A lot has happened there”
At an event organized by the Körber Foundation in Berlin, Silvio Witt said, according to a recording that he published, about the city council’s decision: “A lot has already happened, there’s a lot of pressure that is being exerted.” At some point this had an impact on those around him, on his husband, his family and friends. A key experience was when his mother sent him a Whatsapp message in the morning saying: “Today it’s not so bad what’s in the newspaper.”
Meanwhile, a petition has been started for the colorful flag to be used again. The initiators are calling on the city council to reverse the decision and allow the rainbow flag to be raised, as they write on the internet platform. At the beginning of the week it had already collected more than 6,600 votes.
Witt’s regular term of office actually lasts until 2029. He was confirmed in office in 2022 with a large lead over his opponent.
Sources: , DPA
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
