We are shocked and outraged by the attack on Berlin Pride on Saturday, July 25, 2026. Our solidarity goes out to all those affected, their families, and everyone who witnessed this attack. We stand together and will take to the streets together—for queer self-determination, for solidarity, and against racist attempts to divide us.
It is highly likely that the perpetrator, a supporter of the so-called “Islamic State,” did not commit his homophobic attack by chance before elections in Berlin and Saxony-Anhalt. Followers of far-right political Islam seek to divide society into Muslims and “infidels” and profit from anti-Muslim racism, which drives new followers into their arms.
Whether by chance or not: both the far-right AfD and the conservative CDU hope to gain more votes through the attack, and they will probably succeed.
The openly homophobic AfD is exploiting the attack for racist propaganda, as always when someone who fits one of their stereotypical enemy images commits a crime. The fact that the victims, as queer people, themselves belong to a group the AfD is hostile towards doesn’t bother them, as long as they can stir up outrage against “foreigners” and demand more deportations—even if the perpetrator was a German citizen. At other Christopher Street Day (CSD – the name for annual Pride gatherings) events, they even participate in counter-demonstrations with neo-Nazis to intimidate and threaten queer people.
The CDU/CSU, with its policy of increased repression and militarization, portrays itself as the protector of the queer community. They demand more police and intelligence services, more surveillance, stricter laws, and, of course, more deportations. Yet the perpetrator was known to the police and was under surveillance until the day of the attack—this did not prevent the attack.
While the police were unable to prevent the assassination attempt, they simultaneously attacked the “Internationalist Queer Pride” demonstration in the Wedding district. Up to 10,000 people were demonstrating peacefully there, protesting against the genocide in Gaza, among other things, until police allegedly beat demonstrators and made arrests because of banned slogans—“From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” More power for the police doesn’t prevent terrorist attacks—but it does restrict our democratic rights.
Violence and everyday queerphobia are a major problem, but racism and right-wing politics are not effective solutions. The rightward shift in society also intensifies queerphobia, and there are countless examples of right-wing parties attacking queer visibility and rights, access to gender-affirming treatments, and opportunities for legal and social gender transition: from Orbán’s attempts in Hungary to ban Pride parades to the “Bathroom Bills” in many US states that threaten trans people with imprisonment.
Solidarity & Resistance Against Terror & Hatred
In the days following the attack, tens of thousands of people across Germany made it clear at memorial and solidarity rallies that the queer community will not be exploited for racist propaganda. Many are aware that the policies of the mainstream parties and the Merz government will further worsen their lives. Cuts to queer youth programs will deprive many of the spaces to explore and express their identity together with others. The “healthcare reform” threatens medical care. And longer working hours, social welfare cuts, and lower wages will affect all workers, young people, and the poor—whether queer or not, and regardless of origin or religion.
If we all stand together against cuts, queerphobia, and the shift to the right, we can push back the reactionary forces—Islamists, the AfD, and the CDU/CSU. Unions and the left must provide this opportunity by organizing strong protests—in solidarity with the queer community, against racism, and against Merz’s dismantling of social welfare.