Berlin Pride car incident leaves one dead and 14 injured, police say
German police called off Christopher Street Day after a suspected car strike near Tiergarten left one dead and at least 14 injured.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
2 min read
A Berlin Pride car incident left one person dead and at least 14 others injured late Saturday, German police said, after a vehicle was suspected of driving into people near the route of the city’s Christopher Street Day parade. Police called off the event and told people to leave the area immediately.
Police said they believed a car entered the central Tiergarten park, close to the Pride march route, and hit several people. Some of those injured had life-threatening wounds, according to police.
A vehicle was found abandoned at the scene in Tiergarten, the wooded park where the parade ends, police said. Officers were searching for whoever had been in the vehicle.
“We are conducting an intensive search for suspects,” police spokesman Florian Nath said in a video posted on X, according to police.
What happened at the Berlin Pride parade?
The incident happened after hundreds of thousands of people had gathered in Berlin for Christopher Street Day, one of Europe’s largest LGBTQ celebrations. Before the suspected car strike, the parade had been peaceful, with marchers moving through the city for hours alongside loud music and about 80 floats.
Police said the suspected impact took place near Tiergarten park, away from the main celebration area but close enough to the parade route that authorities shut down the event. Emergency crews treated injured people at the scene.
A dpa reporter at the scene said police officers lit up the area between Potsdamer Platz and the southern side of the Tiergarten tunnel while looking for evidence. Authorities also asked people to avoid traveling through Tiergarten park.
Why was Christopher Street Day called off?
The Pride event in front of the Brandenburg Gate was stopped at about 10:15 p.m. local time, or 20:15 GMT, according to police and reports from the scene. A band performance on the stage was interrupted as organizers and police urged attendees to go home.
Police said the decision followed the suspected vehicle strike and the ongoing search in the park. They posted on X that everyone should leave the event grounds immediately.
What is Christopher Street Day in Berlin?
Christopher Street Day is Germany’s name for Pride, the annual LGBTQ march and celebration held in major cities including Berlin. The Berlin event draws very large crowds and ends around Tiergarten, near the Brandenburg Gate in the center of the capital.
Police had not immediately released further details on the identity of the person killed, the condition of those injured or the possible motive. They said the search for the vehicle’s occupant or occupants was continuing.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.