She actually wanted to speak at the Hamburg town hall market. Then came the threats. Collien Fernandes on fear, silence and digital violence.
Collien Fernandes addressed the public with an urgent statement and at the same time canceled her planned appearance at a large demonstration in Hamburg. The reason: concrete death threats and serious security concerns.
In an Instagram posting, the moderator made it clear how real the danger has become for her. She originally planned to speak at the rally at Hamburg’s town hall market on March 26th. Instead, she must stay away out of self-protection. The rally is part of a growing protest movement that has recently formed in cities such as Berlin and Hanover. According to “NDR”, around 7,500 participants are expected.
When publicity becomes a danger
Fernandes had previously made serious allegations against her ex-partner Christian Ulmen public and said that she had allegedly been a victim of identity abuse and manipulated, sexualized content for years.
The reactions followed a familiar pattern: broad solidarity – but also targeted intimidation. Death threats are an extreme but unfortunately common form of this dynamic. They push the boundaries of what can be said and actually act as a means of pushing people out of the public eye.
The fact that Fernandes canceled her participation is a symptom of a larger problem: those who speak expose themselves to risks.
“We urgently need to shed light on the dark field!”
Collien Fernandes published a statement on her Instagram account that underlines the personal dimension of the debate. The image: a black and white portrait, her mouth sealed with tape – a visual metaphor for being silenced by fear and pressure.
In the accompanying caption, Fernandes describes in detail the progress of her complaint so far. She had already filed a complaint against unknown persons in November 2024 and provided the investigating authorities with extensive information. Nevertheless, she received no response for months and only found out through media reports that the case had been passed on and ultimately closed.
Her tone becomes particularly forceful when she discusses the death threats that ultimately led to her canceling the Hamburg demo. She addresses her attackers directly and asks how women can even muster the courage to speak out publicly under such conditions. Her words make it clear how closely personal concerns, institutional processes and social reactions are interwoven.
At the same time, Fernandes calls for solidarity and appeals to her community to be loud on their behalf. She points to the large number of unreported cases of violence against women: only a fraction of cases are even reported, especially in the area of digital violence.
The posting received numerous reactions. Comedian Nico Stank responded with heart emojis, while the official UN Women Germany account emphasized that hatred and threats against women who raise their voices are a structural problem. Rapper Mariybu also publicly expressed support with the words “We stand behind you,” as did Katy Karrenbauer with “Full solidarity!”
Demands for protection and consequences
The Hamburg demonstration is organized by SPD politician Annika Urbanski, who is calling for a fundamental change in how sexual violence is dealt with.
At the heart of the demands are stricter legal regulations, more awareness and more effective protection against digital violence – especially in cases of identity theft and deepfakes.
