Annual LGBT pride festival takes place in Cologne

Tens of thousands took to the streets of Cologne at the weekend as part of Germany’s annual LGBT Pride celebrations.

The celebrations went without a hitch as onlookers revelled in the sunny and warm weather.

In April, organisers of Berlin’s Christopher Street Day parade decided to exclude the governing conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) from taking part on their normal Pride float because of the party’s opposition to equal marriage.

However, members of the party’s gay and lesbian sub-group were eventually permitted to take part with a smaller-than-usual float.

CDU leader Chancellor Angela Merkel remains opposed to marriage rights for same-sex couples.

The Lower House of Germany’s Parliament approved a measure to equalise tax breaks for couples in civil partnerships and heterosexual marriages late last month.

Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court called for the tax system to treat civil partnerships equally with marriages in May – a demand which Chancellor Angela Merkel had previously resisted.

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