Gays call for Berlin monument

BERLIN, Germany -- Homosexual activists are urging Germany's government to recognise thousands of gay victims of the Nazi regime with a monument in Berlin.

The Lesbian and Gay Federation in Germany want the memorial sited near the Reichstag parliament building, close to a planned Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.

"Such a monument would be a lasting symbol against intolerance, hostility and exclusion aimed at gays and lesbians," the federation said in a statement.

As well as gays, groups representing Gypsies, or Roma, murdered by the Nazis are also pressing for a monument in central Berlin -- seeking equal prominence with the planned memorial for the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust.

A site the size of two soccer pitches near the Brandenburg Gate has been dedicated to the Jewish memorial.

Gay spokesman Albert Eckert said homosexual victims of the Nazis during the war have been overlooked, and added: "We want a national monument similar to the Jewish one."

The Nazi regime criminalised homosexuality among men -- although lesbians were not generally targeted by the Nazis -- and few of the 15,000 gay men forced into concentration camps survived, the federation said.

The plan has been backed by prominent Jewish leaders, including the head of the Jewish Community in Germany, Paul Spiegel.

A city spokeswoman said officials agreed in principle that such a monument was needed.

But Berlin mayor Eberhard Diepgen has opposed creating a "Memorial Mile" in the new capital commemorating various groups persecuted by the Nazis, the Associated Press news agency reported.

Plight of gay Jew who survived Nazis
May 5, 2000
Neo-Nazis march through Berlin
November 25, 2000
Berlin stages mass rally against racism
November 9, 2000
German far-right ban supported
November 10, 2000
Germany's Jews thrive despite attacks
August 17, 2000

The Jewish Virtual Library - The Holocaust
German government

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.