Berlin police have launched an intensive manhunt for one or more suspects after a white van ploughed into a crowd during the city’s annual LGBTQ+ pride parade on Saturday evening, killing at least one person and injuring up to 17 others. The incident, which occurred shortly before 10 p.m. local time, forced the immediate cancellation of the Christopher Street Day (CSD) festivities, one of Europe’s largest pride events.
Details of the Assault and Emergency Response
According to police, the driver of a white van swerved into Tiergarten park, striking several people on a walking path. The vehicle, which witnesses told Bild rammed into revellers at speed, hit multiple victims before colliding with a tree and being abandoned at the scene. Reports from Bild indicate the suspect exited the vehicle with a bladed weapon and attacked people in the park, with witnesses informing emergency services that individuals with stab wounds were lying on the ground.
Berlin police confirmed at 1 a.m. local time that one person had been killed. While initial reports cited about 15 injuries, police later stated that 17 people were injured, including several with life-threatening injuries. Emergency services, including the Berlin fire brigade, deployed a large number of personnel to the scene and established a helicopter landing pad near the Reichstag parliament building to transport the wounded to hospitals.
Event Cancellation and Participant Evacuation
The Christopher Street Day event was called off around 10:15 p.m. local time. Organizers used Instagram and other social media to urge participants to leave the venue calmly and orderly, advising them to head toward the central railway station and away from Tiergarten. The word “evacuation” was displayed on a large screen at the Brandenburg Gate, and a band’s performance on stage was interrupted.
The parade, which ran under the motto Taking a stand is hot,
featured more than 80 floats and 50 groups on foot. Hundreds of thousands of people had gathered peacefully, marching past Potsdamer Platz and the Victory Column before culminating in a rally at the Brandenburg Gate. This year’s CSD began on Friday night with a pro-democracy political rally, marking the first time in the event’s history since its West Berlin inception in 1979 that it started on a Friday.
Official Reactions and Investigation
Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner described the assault as a brutal attack on the city’s free and cosmopolitan society,
stating that the freedom has come under attack in the most horrific way.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt both vowed to ensure the horrific act is fully investigated and punished.
Police spokesperson Alexander Klute noted that it is still early in the investigation, stating that authorities do not yet know the identity of the perpetrator or the possible motives. Berlin’s Queer Liaison Officer Alfonso Pantisano told Tagesspiegel that the incident is a day of great mourning for the queer community
and urged them not to be intimidated.
Context of Public Violence in Germany
The attack follows a period of increasing hostility toward queer people in Germany, which campaigners have linked to a surge in support for the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party and an increase in Islamist-inspired attacks. Germany has seen several other violent public incidents in recent years:
- December 2016: A truck rampage at a Berlin Christmas market killed 12 people.
- 2024: Taleb Jawad al-Abdulmohsen, an anti-Islam activist, drove a rented SUV into a Magdeburg Christmas market, killing six and wounding over 300; he was sentenced to life in prison.
- February 2025: A stabbing occurred at Berlin’s Holocaust memorial; the attacker, Wassim Al M., a 20-year-old Syrian man, was jailed in March for 13 years.
