The public prosecutor's office cited anti-doping and narcotics law as justification for a search of Casa Kuà in Kreuzberg, but community members see it as unnecessary harassment of trans people in Germany.
Berlin police raided a queer community and health centre, Casa Kuà, on Sunday. The operation targeted a trans gathering known as The Dolls.
Police said the investigation concerns the suspected illegal distribution of prescription medicines. But organisers at the Casa Kuà characterised the raid as a "violent intrusion" and suggested it's part of "a broader wave of repression against women, queers, migrants and the working class..."
During the search, 38 police officers seized hormone preparations, other medicines, narcotics, data storage devices and a four-figure sum of cash, according to police information reported by rbb24.
Casa Kuà said officers searched attendees’ belongings, broke into lockers and held people inside for up to four hours.
The raid prompted a spontaneous demonstration, with around 140 people gathering, according to a report by The Berliner. Clashes broke out between demonstrators and police and additional officers were called in, including Berlin’s queer commissioner, Alfonso Pantisano.
Left Party politicians promptly criticised the raid, with Maik Brückner, the party’s spokesperson for queer politics in the Bundestag, calling the operation “shameful” and demanding clarification, while the Left Party's queer association described it as an unacceptable repression of an operation.
Criticism has been widespread on social media, with the raid also drawing attention to the difficulties trans people face accessing hormone treatment through Germany’s healthcare system, and some criticising it as an attack on the trans and queer community.
Pantisano told rbb24 that many people struggle to find appropriate medical services in Berlin, citing humiliation, uncertainty, rejection, and bureaucratic hurdles.
He added that structures for an adequate healthcare system for trans and intersex people were “virtually non-existent” in Berlin. He warned that inadequate access can push people towards informal arrangements for obtaining medication.
Martin Viehweger, a doctor specialising in trans medicine, said some doctors are reluctant to provide hormone treatment because they fear potential reimbursement claims from health insurers, and that self-organised networks are often the only way for trans people to access basic care.
Viehweger also stressed that medical professionals have very limited training in trans healthcare, which contributes to the overall uncertainty.
Casa Kuà, a self-organised health and community centre run by trans and non-binary people of colour, says it aims to improve healthcare access for trans, intersex, non-binary and queer people, particularly those affected by racism.
The centre also announced a demonstration, ‘Hands Off Trans Lives’, planned for Saturday, October 24th, from 2-5 pm.