The Berlin Pride Tragedy

It has been reported that last night, at a Christopher Street Day event (Berlin Pride) in Berlin, Germany, a van drove into the crowd, after which the suspect is reported to have attacked people with a type of blade. At the current time of writing, one woman has been reported dead, and at least 29 people injured. At Out Across Borders, we are devastated to hear of this attack, and our thoughts are with the victims and their family and friends.

Following the attack, there has been grief from the LGBTQ+ community in Berlin, and internationally. The LGBTQ affairs commissioner of the Berlin state government, Alfonso Pantisano, wrote on Instagram: "To you, my dear community: I know that many of you are afraid right now. I won't sugarcoat it - I am, too. But you are not alone in this fear, in your grief, and in your anger."

Due to news that the suspect may have links to Islamist extremism, this tragedy has been quickly politicized by some of those who want tighter immigration controls in Germany and other Western countries. This political narrative is troubling to us for a number of reasons. Firstly, is being framed by some as an attack against Germans by foreigners, when it was clearly an attack aimed specifically at the LGBTQ+ community by one individual. Secondly, this framing puts other marginalized groups, such as Muslims and immigrants at increased risk of discrimination. Thirdly, this serves to further divide the public against each other in a time when, in my view, we need solidarity and unity more than ever.

I’m sure we are all aware of how the online algorithms function. In times of heightened emotions, we humans are susceptible to responding recklessly and jumping to conclusions and the online algorithms amplify this effect dramatically. It is important to work through our emotions, however, I would urge people not to use this tragedy to cause further division and distress to others. Enough people have already been hurt.