Holger Ziegeler, Germany’s top diplomat in Karachi, Pakistan’s biggest city. Scrapfest, an intimate event the German consulate funded under Ziegeler, was one of the first public queer festivals to ever be held in Pakistan. Homosexuality is a crime in the country, and openly queer people are prone to violent backlash from people who want it to stay that way. The event was meant to serve as a safe space for the city’s marginalised LGBTQ community, but several attendees have accused the diplomat of harassing multiple women and groping a woman at the venue. They believe he exploited his access and status as a funder to sexualize and violate indigenous queer people at an event meant to celebrate them. The allegations are currently being investigated by the German Federal Foreign Office and have caused outrage among Pakistan’s LGBTQ community. (https://www.vice.com/en/article/m7v8aq/drunk-german-diplomat-accused-of-groping-queer-event-pakistan) Many are afraid to go public with their accusations out of fear of retaliation and being outed.
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