BERLIN (AP) 鈥� Hamburg’s Pride parade, one of Germany’s biggest, got underway Saturday with increased security a week after a near its counterpart in Berlin.
Dozens of trucks were making their way through the center of Germany’s second-biggest city and organizers expected about 250,000 people to attend. Hamburg’s police chief said earlier this week that roughly twice as many officers as last year would protect the event.
The Hamburg event’s motto this time is 鈥淨ueer in solidarity. Take a stand 鈥� for a future without fear.鈥�
A late addition to the trucks taking part was one representing the 鈥� or Christopher Street Day, CSD for short, as the parades are known in Germany. People on that truck were asked to wear dark clothing as a sign of respect for the victims of last week’s attack.
鈥淎fter the brutal attack on the CSD in Berlin, many are unsure in the queer community but also in society whether here and today is the right place,鈥� Hamburg’s deputy mayor, Katharina Fegebank, told RTL television. 鈥淚 say, now more than ever.鈥�
Late on July 25, a driver plowed a van into people a few hundred meters (yards) from the closing party of the Berlin Pride event before cutting others with what appears to have been a machete. A woman was killed and many other people were injured.
The 21-year-old suspect, Abdul Ballout, in a confrontation with police on Sunday. Investigators later found a video in which a person believed to be the suspect claimed responsibility and pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group.
Prosecutors have said Ballout, who was born in Germany and has Lebanese roots, traveled to Lebanon in 2025 with the goal of going to Syria to join IS. He made contact with several people who were presumed members.
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