One person was killed and at least 29 others injured after a vehicle was driven into a crowd during Berlin’s Christopher Street Day (CSD) Pride celebration on Saturday, 25 July. The suspected driver, 21-year-old German national Abdul Ballout, was shot dead by police the following day.
Attack at Tiergarten
The attack occurred at approximately 10 p.m. at Tiergarten park, near the Brandenburg Gate, where hundreds of thousands had gathered for one of Europe’s largest LGBTQ+ events. A 65-year-old Polish woman died in the incident, while 29 people sustained injuries. Authorities are treating the attack, in which Ballout allegedly drove his car into the crowd before attacking people with a blade, as a suspected Islamist terror attack.
Suspect’s Background
Ballout was known to authorities, with previous convictions for assault and robbery. He had previously attempted to join the Islamic State group, but was arrested in Lebanon and repatriated to Germany, where he was charged with preparing a serious act of subversive violence. He was sentenced as a juvenile to a year and 10 months in prison, a sentence that was suspended.
Official Reactions
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz described the attack as “heinous” and said:
We will not allow this poison of terrorism to spread further in our society.
At a vigil at St Mary’s Church in Berlin on Sunday, Merz added:
Don’t let yourselves, let us not let ourselves be intimidated. These acts have only one purpose: They aim to divide our society. They want to take away from us the most important thing we have: namely our openness and our freedom.
CSD organisers urged people not to exploit the attack for political purposes:
We don’t want this act to be exploited for political purposes or for people to be placed under general suspicion. Such violence is an attempt to divide our society and incite people against each other. We, as Berlin CSD, will not allow this.
Berlin Nightlife Community Responds
Berlin’s club scene expressed sorrow and solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community. LGBTQ+ club night Homies, hosting an event at Oxi club on Saturday, shared:
Our thoughts are with everyone who was hurt, everyone who witnessed something traumatic, and everyone who is carrying fear or grief today. Moments like these remind us why Pride has never simply been a party. When hate tries to push queer people out of public space, our answer cannot be to disappear. Our answer is to hold each other a little closer. To check in on one another. To mourn together. And, to celebrate each other.
The Berlin Club Commission stated:
We are deeply shocked and devastated by the attack on everyone who took to the streets yesterday during Christopher Street Day in Berlin to stand up for the self-determination, visibility, and rights of queer people. Our deepest sympathy goes out to all victims, everyone affected, and their families, chosen families, and friends. We mourn the person whose life was taken yesterday, and our thoughts are with those who are still fighting for their lives, as well as everyone who experienced traumatic events. We stand in solidarity with the entire queer community in our city and beyond!
Irish DJ Cormac, a long-time Berlin resident, wrote on Instagram:
Trying to see something like this as the last gasp of a dying mentality. I hope that’s true. We’re living in a time where ignorance, hatred and division are amplified by media and algorithms that reward outrage and reaction. That has consequences. I believe in queer joy. I believe it is powerful. But tonight, joy is harder to find. There is a time and space for joy, and there is a time for grief, for outrage, for setting boundaries, for pushing back, for standing together and demanding better.
He.She.They, hosting a Pride event at RSO Berlin, added:
This attack is what happens in a world where politicians and others demonise LGBTQIA+ people and minorities to for power and control. The world really could so easily be full of joy and not hate but joyful people are harder to control and divide. Our community will not be scared into silence. It just unites us. We will live our lives louder and prouder for all those who cannot.
