One Dead and Several Injured

Van Plows Into Crowd at Pride Party

The cleared area in front of the Victory Column in Berlin after a van plowed into the crowd(Bild: Krone-Collage/Christoph Engelmaier)

Hundreds of thousands of people marched through the streets of Berlin on Saturday to demonstrate for the rights of LGBTQ people as part of Christopher Street Day. The march proceeded peacefully, but the party that evening had to be abruptly ended shortly after 10 p.m.: A white van had plowed into the crowd, and according to witnesses, the driver then attacked revelers with a stabbing weapon! One person was killed and many others were injured.

The bloody incident occurred near the Brandenburg Gate. Shortly afterward, participants were urged via social media and on a large screen at the Brandenburg Gate to avoid the Victory Column and the Tiergarten. “Leave the area toward the Central Station!” was the organizers’ appeal.

The police initially described the situation as a “mass casualty incident.” A later update stated that 14 people required medical attention. Several people were reported to have suffered life-threatening injuries—one of them succumbed to their serious injuries shortly afterward.

Witnesses: Passersby Also Attacked with a Stabbing Weapon
The police deployed “significant police forces” and are searching for possible suspects. According to eyewitness accounts, the driver of the vehicle involved in the incident got out of the car after the incident and ran away. According to bild.de, he was also carrying a stabbing weapon, which he used to attack several passersby. A police helicopter and the GSG 9 special forces unit were also called in.

“There’s no panic; everything was very calm as the area around the Victory Column was being cleared,” reported “Krone” journalist Christoph Engelmaier, who had traveled to Berlin for Christopher Street Day. However, when the authorities instructed everyone to leave the event site, there were reportedly numerous visitors who were unfamiliar with the area.

“Helicopters circling, sirens blaring nonstop”
The rest of the party was canceled—and Sarah Connor’s performance at the Brandenburg Gate also had to be cut short. “Everyone is going home, the music has stopped, helicopters are circling, and sirens can be heard nonstop,” said Engelmaier, who described how the entire area had been cordoned off. “Even now, police announcements are still coming over the loudspeakers telling everyone to go home.”

It’s unclear how the van was able to drive into the crowd. After all, in the run-up to the bloody attack, the entire Pride area had been secured with bollards and roadblocks.

“Terrible attack on the city of freedom”
Berlin’s Governing Mayor, Kai Wegner, called it an “attack on our free and cosmopolitan society.” Berlin is the City of Freedom—“and our freedom has been attacked in the most horrific way today.” He expressed his condolences to the victims and their families and his gratitude to the emergency responders.