Grief, anger and solidarity swept through Berlin’s LGBTQ community after the weekend’s deadly vehicle attack at the annual Pride celebrations, which left one person dead and more than a dozen injured – prompting condemnation from EU leaders and politicians across the world.
German chancellor Friedrich Merz described the attack late on Saturday (25 July), in which a white van was driven into a crowd near Tiergarten Park, killing one woman and injuring at least 29 others, as “despicable” and “an attack on our society.”
Berlin’s mayor Kai Wegner called it “an attack on our free and cosmopolitan society,” writing that “Berlin is the city of freedom — and our freedom has been horribly attacked”
Authorities said the suspect, a 21-year-old German citizen of Lebanese descent, allegedly had ties to Islamist extremist circles. He was shot dead by the police the following day after the attack.
Questions remain over the security arrangements and how the vehicle was able to get through, prompting other major city events to strengthen their measures, including the ongoing WorldPride celebrations in Amsterdam and Prague Pride, which begins next month.
