‘Attack on free and tolerant society’: Dutch leaders condemn deadly Berlin Pride attack
Leaders strongly condemned a van attack at Berlin’s Pride celebration that killed one person and injured 29 others late Saturday, calling it an assault on free and tolerant society. No Dutch nationals were among the victims, the Dutch Foreign Ministry said Sunday. German authorities described the attack as a terrorist attack by a 21-year-old Islamic State (IS) supporter who remains at large.
Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema called the news “horrific” and “an attack on the freedom that we in Amsterdam also celebrate grandly these weeks.” She said she understood it could provoke anger as well as fear and concern among visitors and participants at WorldPride.
After consulting the local triangle of police, mayor, and prosecutors, as well as the organizers, the mayor said authorities would take extra security measures at WorldPride, which is currently taking place in Amsterdam. It is not clear what specific measure will be enacted, but the security situation is being closely monitored, Halsema said.
Prime Minister Rob Jetten called the incident "an outright attack on our free and tolerant society” and “a horrific act of aggression,” offering condolences to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and saying the Netherlands stands “shoulder to shoulder with our German neighbors” in difficult times.
Justice Minister David van Weel described it as a “cowardly and despicable attack,” stating that “an attack on the LGBTQIA+ community is an attack on our values” and that such incidents fit the current threat picture, with Dutch local authorities alert and taking measures as needed. State Secretary for Emancipation Judith Tielen expressed sympathy, saying “a celebration of love ends in a terrible drama.”
“Our hearts are with Berlin. With great dismay we have learned of the tragic news about the attack,” the Pride Amsterdam organization wrote in a statement. “Our thoughts are with the victims, their loved ones, and the entire LGBTQIA+ community in Berlin. In times like these we feel all the more how important it is that we continue to support each other and stand up together for love, freedom, and safety.”
Additionally, a minute of silence will be observed at Amsterdam's Milkshake Festival for the victims of the Berlin attack on Sunday.
The German attack struck during Berlin’s Christopher Street Day, one of Europe’s largest LGBTQIA+ events. Hundreds of thousands were reportedly in attendance.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said authorities assume it was an Islamist terror attack, saying that “everything points to that.” The suspect, identified as Abdul B., was born in Germany in 2005 and holds German nationality.
According to German media, he is an Islamic State supporter who traveled to the Middle East last year in a failed attempt to join Islamic State. He was later convicted of related crimes after returning to Germany and was released from youth detention in May.
Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner called it “an attack on our free and cosmopolitan society,” saying, "After a peaceful and colorful Christopher Street Day, the gathering for a tolerant and peaceful Berlin was brutally attacked. Berlin is the city of freedom, and that freedom was attacked in the most terrible way.”
