She was flying the flag against intolerance and hatred – and became a victim of homophobic violence precisely because of it.
Using pictures from the surveillance cameras at Essen Central Station, the police are searching for a man who allegedly beat a woman ( aged 30) and spat on her rainbow flag at 0.30 a.m. on July 4.
The Bochum woman had been on her way home with friends at night. Presumably, the group had spent the whole day celebrating at Christopher Street Day (CSD) in Cologne and were on their way home to the Ruhr area. When changing trains in Essen, they sought the help of a group of young men to find the right platform. Instead of advice, there was verbal abuse.
A dark-skinned man (about 25 years old) spat on the large rainbow flag the woman was carrying. To avoid further attacks, the group fled. In vain: shortly afterwards she was confronted again by the wanted stranger on platform 4.
This time it was not just damage to property. The man allegedly approached the female protester and punched her in the face.
Because he was able to escape unchallenged, a judge has now released the surveillance images for the manhunt. They show the attacker, who was wearing a white T-shirt, white jogging trousers and a black waistcoat at the time of the crime. The police are asking for information about his identity by calling ☎ 0800/6888000.