Hamburg and Amsterdam Pride events tighten security after Berlin attack

Hamburg’s Christopher Street Day parade drew about 250,000 to 300,000 people on Saturday under increased security. Amsterdam also tightened security for WorldPride.

The security changes followed the July 25 attack in Berlin, where a van was driven into a crowd at about 22:00 local time during Christopher Street Day celebrations near the city’s annual Pride parade. One woman was killed and at least 29 other people were injured. German authorities later said the attack was likely an Islamist terrorist attack.

Police identified the suspect as 21-year-old Abdul Ballout, a German citizen with Lebanese roots. He was shot and killed by police during a confrontation in west Berlin on July 26 after a search that lasted nearly 24 hours. Questions over why Ballout had been freed weeks earlier fueled public anger in Germany, where Chancellor Friedrich Merz condemned the attack as “heinous” and Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner called it an attack on “our free and open-minded society.”

In Amsterdam, organizers moved ahead with WorldPride while tightening security, and thousands gathered in early August. ILGA-Europe and the Peter Tatchell Foundation both condemned the attack and warned against scapegoating queer people or refugees.

A 2025 report found attacks and other disruptions targeted nearly half of all Pride parades in Germany, largely by right-wing extremists.