One person was killed and 17 people were injured, including the deceased, after a white van ploughed into a crowd during Berlin’s LGBTQ+ pride parade on Saturday, July 25, 2026, according to police. The incident, which occurred shortly before 10 p.m., prompted authorities to call off the event and an ongoing concert at the Brandenburg Gate to protect participants, as reported by Theguardian.
Emergency Response and Casualty Details
Police stated that some of the victims suffered life-threatening injuries. To facilitate medical transport, emergency services established a helicopter landing pad near the Reichstag parliament building. Firefighters and ambulances were deployed in large numbers to the scene at Kemperplatz and the Tiergarten park, where the vehicle had swerved onto a walking path and struck several people, according to Cbsnews.
Manhunt and Investigation
Authorities have launched an intensive search for the perpetrator or perpetrators. The vehicle is described as a white minibus or minivan, though its make remains unknown because the car was heavily damaged, according to t-online.de. A total of 2,200 officers are involved in the operation, with support from the Federal Police and units from Hamburg, Bayern, Sachsen, and Sachsen-Anhalt. The General Prosecutor’s Office of Berlin is also involved.
Police spokesperson Alexander Klute told The Associated Press that officials did not yet have information regarding the identity of the perpetrators or their possible motives. Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner described the assault as an attack on our free and cosmopolitan society
and pledged that security authorities would investigate with the utmost urgency,
according to Theguardian.
Political Reaction and Event Context
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt condemned the “heinous act” and abscheuliche Tat,
vowing that the crime would be fully investigated and punished. The event, known in Germany as Christopher Street Day (CSD), is one of Europe’s largest LGBTQ+ celebrations and typically draws hundreds of thousands of people to the capital.
This year’s parade operated under the motto Haltung ist Hot – Segen statt Hetze
(Having principles is hot – Blessing instead of hate
), which organizers stated was a response to increasing hostility toward queer people in Germany. The 2026 event featured around 80 floats and 50 groups on foot. For the first time in its history, the CSD began on Friday night with a pro-democracy political rally, coinciding with a period before Berlin’s state election in September.
Safety Measures and Public Impact
Following the attack, police used the platform X to order everyone to leave the premises immediately. Organizers used Instagram to advise participants to evacuate the venue calmly and head toward the central railway station, away from the Tiergarten park. Julian Miethig, an attendee, described the event as a dark day for the community
after learning of the emergency vehicle presence, according to Cbsnews.
Police have established a dedicated telephone number (030/854460) for the relatives of the victims, and psychosocial support is being provided to eyewitnesses, according to t-online.de.
- Berlin Pride Parade: One Dead and At Least 15 Injured After Van Plows Into Crowd
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