Germany's SPD calls for LGBTQ protections in constitution

Germany's centre-left Social Democrats have renewed calls to explicitly ban discrimination based on sexual identity in the constitution following Saturday's deadly attack on the fringes of Berlin's Christopher Street Day parade.

SPD co-leaders Bärbel Bas and Lars Klingbeil and General Secretary Tim Klüssendorf said they would put the proposed amendment "firmly back on the political agenda," according to a statement seen by dpa.

"We want to further strengthen political protections for queer people," they said.

The SPD, the junior partner in Chancellor Friedrich Merz's coalition government, has previously called for Article 3 of Germany's Basic Law to be amended to include sexual identity among the grounds on which discrimination is prohibited.

Luigi Pantisano, co-leader of Germany's opposition Left Party, made a similar demand on Monday, saying his party was ready to provide the votes needed for a two-thirds majority in parliament.

Amendments to Germany's constitution require two-thirds majorities in both the Bundestag, the lower house of parliament, and the Bundesrat, which represents the country's 16 states. The governing coalition does not have such a majority on its own.

The SPD leaders also pledged to oppose cuts to programmes supporting queer people, saying counselling and support centres provided essential protection.

They renewed calls for the attack to be fully investigated.

A woman was killed, and 29 other people were injured, when a van ploughed into a crowd on the fringes of the Pride events in Berlin. The suspected perpetrator is also reported to have stabbed passers-by with a bladed weapon. He was killed on Sunday during a police operation.

The 21-year-old, Berlin-born suspect, was known to police and had known links to Islamist extremism.