Memorial service in Amsterdam tomorrow for victims of attack on Pride Berlin
A memorial service will be held at the Homomonument in Amsterdam on Tuesday to show support for the victims of the attack on Pride Berlin, as well as their loved ones and the LGBTQIA+ community as a whole. A woman was killed and 29 people injured when a van crashed into Pride attendees near Potsdamer Platz on Saturday.
The attack was also commemorated in Berlin. The Brandenburger Tor monument was lit up in the colors of the rainbow on Sunday. The rainbow flag is the symbol of the LGBTQIA+ community and stands for diversity and tolerance.
The German authorities think the attack was an Islamic terrorist attack, according to RTL Nieuws. The suspected perpetrator, a 21-year-old man, was shot dead as he charged at police officers with a knife on Sunday evening.
The memorial will happen during WorldPride, which is currently taking place in the Dutch capital. It starts at 8:00 p.m., and there will be speeches by two Dutch-German influencers who were at Pride Berlin during the attack. Everyone is welcome, the organizers, Stichting Homomonument, stressed. People can lay flowers and candles at the monument on the Westermarkt.
People already laid flowers at the Homomonument on Sunday, NOS reported. There were also other informal commemorations. For example, a minute of silence was observed at the Milkshake dance festival in Amsterdam. “We may be partying here, but in Berlin, people are mourning,” an artist said on stage. “It just goes to show that Pride remains necessary.”
Queen Maxima and Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema officially opened WorldPride in Amsterdam on Saturday. Mayor Halsema announced that the city would take extra security measures to keep the rainbow community safe following the Berlin attack.
