Berlin Pride Parade Canceled After Vehicle Plows Into Crowd

The Berlin CSD was abruptly halted on Saturday evening, around 10:30 PM. From the stage at the Brandenburg Gate, the audience was asked to leave the event “due to a difficult situation,” while the word “Evacuation” appeared in the background. Attendees were urged not to head toward the Victory Column, but to use the U-Bahn entrances at the Brandenburg Gate. The Pride organizers also called for evacuation on social media, without initially naming the reasons.

As later confirmed, a vehicle had previously driven into a crowd in the large Tiergarten park. By shortly after 1:00 AM there was one fatality and 16 people who needed treatment for injuries. Berlin Fire Department spokesperson Dominik Pretz said that three of the injured were life-threatening and eight were seriously injured and had been taken to hospitals. A hotline was set up for relatives at (030) 8485 4460, and the police launched a tip portal for witnesses and any possible footage.

At around 2:30 AM, police announced that they had identified a suspect. “The man is known to the police and is linked to the Islamist scene in Berlin,” police spokesman Florian Nath said. Earlier, police had searched an apartment in Schöneberg. According to Nath, no arrest was made because no one was found there. The operation, which involved specialized officers (SEK), took place around 1:10 AM, according to the newspaper Welt. The report stated that a tenant of the building born in 2005 was “known to the police in a religious-motivated context” and had only just been released this May from a juvenile detention. Whether he was the driver remains under investigation.

Earlier, just before midnight, Nath had explained that the incident occurred shortly after 10 PM. A white vehicle, apparently a minivan, had driven into Tiergarten via an as-yet unclear route and struck people on the Ahornsteig. The vehicle then collided with a tree, and the driver apparently fled on foot. The police continued to search for one or more possible suspects, Nath said, citing varying statements from witnesses.

The agency reported that witnesses claimed some people had also been stabbed in the incident. “That is what witnesses described to us—that there were people with stab wounds,” Nath said in a later update shortly before 1 AM. “It remains under investigation whether there was a second phase of the attack after the vehicle assault.” A post on social media claiming the driver had been arrested was denied by Nath, and there was no report of a gunfight.

“Please avoid the area and detour widely,” the police had urged shortly after the incident. The force said it was on the scene with numerous police units and Berlin Fire Department rescue teams; a video by Nath on the Berlin Police X channel showed him speaking shortly before 11 PM. TV footage displayed a large number of ambulances; victims were initially treated in screened tents and given psychological support. The fire department reported about 150 personnel on site.

Berlin’s Queer Commissioner Alfonso Pantisano (SPD) told the TV channel n-tv that this was a “great day of mourning for the community.” He added that the evacuation had been carried out very professionally, and he did not have further information beyond what had been made public.

Berlin’s outgoing Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) praised the emergency services and the organizers for the orderly evacuation of the mass event. He said he had experienced a wonderful CSD and that “we will not let our way of life be taken away.” He told reporters at the scene that it was “too soon” to call it a terrorist attack. In a post on social media, he described the attack as an “assault on our free and open society”: “After a peaceful and colorful CSD, the gathering for a tolerant and peaceful Berlin was attacked in the harshest manner.”

The CDU’s lead candidate for the state parliament, Stefan Evers, also expressed horror. “It strikes our city right in its heart,” the gay politician wrote on X. He thanked all those who helped and the Berlin police for protecting people. “I hope for those injured, I mourn with their families and friends. There is much to clarify. Then there must be consequences,” said the politician, who was not in Berlin on Saturday due to a family obligation.

According to a government spokesperson, Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) called it a “horrific act.” He said he was “in close contact” with Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) and was being kept “continuously informed” by the security authorities. On social media, the chancellor had not yet commented on the CSD.

The CSD subsequently canceled Sunday’s planned “Breakfast Market.” On social media, many Pride and queer people from within Germany and abroad expressed solidarity with the victims and the CSD.

CSD Afternoon: Shots with a Soft-Air Gun at CSD Participants

Earlier, organizers had spoken of the largest Berlin CSD in history, with hundreds of thousands participating under the motto “Haltung ist hot” (“Stance is hot”). “The largest CSD weekend in the history of the Berlin CSD with several hundred thousand participants sends a clear signal,” the Pride wrote on Instagram. “People take to the streets for a Berlin where all queer people can live safely, visibly, and freely. This mandate must be taken seriously by the upcoming state government, and queer rights must be protected and strengthened.” In the evening, Sarah Connor performed at the closing rally at the Brandenburg Gate. She wore a rainbow flag draped over her shoulders and sang for about half an hour.

The day had initially proceeded largely peacefully. In the afternoon, on the fringes of the CSD parade, participants and police were fired upon from a housing unit in Schöneberg with a soft-air gun. Four people sustained light injuries. Police also reported that two officers were fired upon from a residence on Courbière Street, though they were not hit. Authorities located the apartment and blocked off the sidewalk in front of the building.

The police were also watching possible agitators from the far-right; around 15 people took part in a counter-demonstration, police spokesman Nath told the news agency. One person was arrested for insult. Earlier, police had already checked the group at Potsdamer Platz; a woman was arrested there for possessing a stun device.

Arrests at “Internationalist Queer Pride”

In 2018 the Berlin CSD’s closing event had already been canceled due to a weather warning. This weekend marked the 48th CSD in the capital, and it began on Friday evening with a stage program and a “Drag Walk.” Separately from the CSD, there had been a Dyke March on Friday evening and the left-wing “Internationalist Queer Pride” on Saturday afternoon. During the protest march through Gesundbrunnen and Wedding, about 7,000 participants took part and there were multiple arrests: police said that despite several discussions with the organizers, calls of prohibited slogans continued, notably “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” Hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators were at the front. (nb)