Ali Darwich views the deadly assault at Berlin’s Pride Festival as an affront to the city’s core values: diversity, tolerance, and freedom. At a personal level, the attack affected him deeply, as it touched upon every aspect of his life as a Muslim, gay man, and police officer.
The Saturday night event involved a van ramming and stabbing incident near the festival. One person was killed and several others were injured. Authorities suspect it was an act of Islamic extremist terrorism. The suspect, Abdul Ballout, aged 21, was neutralized by police in a Berlin suburb.
Darwich closely observed the scene on Sunday at Tiergarten park, where many from the LGBTQ+ community gathered. Visitors laid flowers, consoled each other, and stared in disbelief at the van, which remained behind police lines. Many had been celebrating life and love hours before.
Darwich, wearing a rainbow-colored shirt at the parade, canceled his plans after receiving concerned calls from friends. On reflection, he expressed regret for not rushing to help as an officer and expressed concerns about increasing hate crimes.
“Born a Muslim, living as a gay man, working as a police officer,” Darwich said, “this terror attack touches so many aspects of who I am.”
Others expressed unity and resilience at the impromptu vigil. Andre Lehmann, an official at LSVD+, shared the shock and political implications of the attack. He lamented society’s silence despite an increase in anti-queer hate crimes.
Ashley Jump, a UK resident, traveled to Berlin for the Pride parade and returned to leave flowers at the memorial. Jump spoke about the enduring presence and resilience of the LGBTQ+ community.
“They’ll never erase us, we’ll never be gone,” Jump said. “As long as humanity has existed, we’ve existed. And as long as humanity exists, we will exist. We will not be removed.”
Leave a Reply