At least one person was killed and 15 people were injured, “some seriously”, when a vehicle was suspected of driving into a crowd near Berlin’s annual pride event, Christopher Street Day (CSD), on Saturday night, police said.
“We believe a vehicle entered Tiergarten Park and struck several people,” police said on social media.
What do we know about the events of the Berlin CSD event?
Police have not commented on whether the incident was intentional Or if CSD was the goal.
However, Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner described it as “an attack on our free and open society”.
“AAfter a peaceful and colorful CSD, a tolerant and peaceful Berlin assembly was attacked in the most brutal manner. Berlin is a city of freedom and today our freedoms have been attacked in the most terrible way,” Wegner said on X.
Berlin police said several officers and fire department rescuers were deployed to the Tiergarten area in the center of the German capital.
Police started search operation
A white vehicle with heavy damage was found abandoned at the scene. Police said they have launched an operation to search for the driver.
“We are conducting an intensive search for possible suspects,” a spokesman said.
He said there were “definitely a lot of police” deployed at the scene. He said his thoughts were with the victims, their families and friends.
Pride parade participants told to ‘please go home’
Thousands took to the streets of Berlin on Saturday to advocate for tolerance and diversity, culminating in concerts at the Brandenburg Gate.
The program was stopped at around 10:15 pm and the performance of a band was interrupted. Authorities urged people to “please go home” and avoid routes through the Tiergarten.
The CSD parade ends on 17 June Street, which runs from Berlin’s Tiergarten to the Brandenburg Gate. This gate has been the venue of musical concerts since Friday.
This is a developing story, more to come…
Edited by: Zack Crellin
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