The reasoning behind the move: In the past, there have been several crimes related to the rainbow flag, including theft and the subsequent hoisting of flags with banned symbols. It was replaced several times by unknown people with a swastika flag. We want to avoid that in the future. The application in the Neubrandenburg city council was passed with votes from the AfD, the “Project NB” and the BSW, among others. It was introduced by the only councilor from the “Stable Citizens of Neubrandenburg” voter group.
Now, around a month later, the Neubrandenburg city council has committed itself to cosmopolitanism and tolerance. In a resolution passed on Wednesday, she also included the rainbow flag as a symbol of diversity. The mayor and the city administration were asked to present a concept by May 2025 on how diversity and tolerance can be made more visible in the city.
The city council was reacting to nationwide reactions that it had triggered about a month ago with a resolution to ban a rainbow flag on the city’s train station forecourt. Mayor Silvio Witt (independent) announced his resignation in May 2025 the day after the flag ban. He didn’t comment on the exact reasons – but at an event in Berlin, according to a recording by NDR, he said: “A lot has happened, there’s a lot of pressure being exerted.”
24 councilors agreed to the decision on Wednesday, three voted against and six abstained. Several MPs, especially from the AfD, left the room before the roll-call vote.
