Car rams into Berlin CSD parade, killing 1 and injuring 16; FBI warned of Pride attack risk in 2024

Two years ago, the FBI published a warning about attacks on the LGBTQI+ community. CSDs in Germany are also increasingly being attacked.

Published: July 26, 2026 | 10:06 AM

Intelligence agency warned of attacks on Pride events — Photo: Maryam Majd

By Klaudia Lagozinski

A man drove a car into people during the 2026 CSD in Berlin — 16 people are seriously injured, one woman dead. Police assume it was an attack and are searching for the perpetrator. In Austria, an attack on the Vienna CSD was prevented in 2023, and the following year there were official warnings from the USA about attacks on Pride events.

FBI Warning in 2024

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation warned: "Foreign terrorist organizations or their supporters could attempt to exploit the increased gatherings expected in connection with the upcoming Pride Month in June 2024." Similarly, the US State Department, which published the warning at the time, stated: "Be vigilant at locations frequented by tourists, including Pride celebrations."

Although no specific gatherings or locations were named, law enforcement authorities pointed out that messages from the terrorist organization "Islamic State" (IS), disseminated in English in February 2023, contained rhetoric against LGBTQI+ events and venues.

In its warning, the FBI also referred to the arrest of three IS sympathizers who allegedly attempted to carry out an attack on a Pride parade in the Austrian capital Vienna in 2023.

Attack on Queer Community in the USA, 2016

The attack on the queer community in the USA in 2016 remains vividly remembered, when an armed man opened fire on the night of June 12, 2016, at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida.

Pulse was a well-known LGBTQI+ nightclub, with around 300 people present at the time. 49 people were killed, and 53 others were injured. It was the worst attack on the LGBTQI+ community the USA has ever experienced.

Report: Nearly Half of CSDs Do Not Proceed Without Disruption

The research network ReGA (Research Against Global Authoritarianism) published a report on attacks on Pride events in Germany in June of this year. It reports an increase in attacks on Pride parades, neo-Nazi rallies referred to as counter-demonstrations, and anti-queer assaults on organizers and participants in Germany over the past three years.

The network focuses on developments in authoritarianism, right-wing extremism, and anti-democratic mobilization. For 2025, ReGA found:

• Only 110 out of 243 CSDs and Pride events took place without documented incidents — meaning without event-related (right-wing extremist) demonstrations or rallies and without reported attacks, insults, or threats.
• 17 CSDs faced right-wing extremist gatherings but no disruptions.
• 35 CSDs had both right-wing extremist gatherings and disruptions.
• 81 had "only" disruptions but no right-wing extremist demonstrations.

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