A speaker at a vigil for victims of the Berlin Pride attack has sparked widespread backlash after telling mourners she initially hoped the perpetrator would turn out to be “a white Christian person” before police identified a suspect linked to Islamist circles.
A vigil held in Berlin following the deadly attack on the city’s Christopher Street Day (CSD) Pride celebrations has become the centre of a separate controversy after remarks made by one of the speakers spread widely online. During the event, the speaker admitted her immediate reaction upon hearing a vehicle had driven into the Pride crowd was to hope the attacker was “a white Christian person” rather than “a person of colour”. The comments have prompted fierce debate on social media, with critics accusing her of allowing ideology to shape her initial assumptions about the attack.
Speaker reflects on her first thoughts after the attack
Addressing those gathered at the vigil near Brandenburg Gate, the speaker recalled learning that a vehicle had crashed into the Pride celebrations.
She told attendees that her first instinct had been to hope the suspect was not “a person of colour” but instead “a white Christian person”. She then said that, after learning more about the suspect, the situation demonstrated “intersectionality” and argued that different communities face different struggles while supporting one another.
A video of the speech has since been shared across multiple social media platforms, attracting both support and criticism.
Many of those responding online argued it was inappropriate to frame the tragedy around the identity they had hoped the suspect would have been, particularly during a vigil honouring victims of the attack.
Berlin attack remains under investigation
The comments came after the deadly attack during Berlin’s Christopher Street Day celebrations on 25 July.
German authorities say a van was driven into people near the Pride event in the Tiergarten area, killing one woman and injuring numerous others. Police later identified the main suspect as 21-year-old Abdul Ballout, a German citizen born in Germany to Lebanese-descended parents.
According to investigators, Ballout was already known to authorities through previous criminal offences and Islamist radicalisation concerns. Berlin police had previously described him as being known within Islamist circles.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the evidence pointed towards an Islamist terrorist attack, although investigators continue to examine all aspects of the case.
Authorities later confirmed that the suspect died after being shot by police during a confrontation in which he allegedly threatened officers with a knife.
Online debate over reactions to the attack
The vigil speech has fuelled wider discussion online about how acts of terrorism are interpreted in their immediate aftermath.
Supporters of the speaker argued she was expressing concern about how minority communities can become targets of collective blame following violent incidents.
Critics, however, said the remarks suggested some people are more comfortable attributing responsibility to ideological opponents than waiting for confirmed facts from investigators.
The controversy has unfolded alongside continuing public mourning for those affected by the Berlin attack, with police and government officials maintaining that the investigation remains focused on establishing the full circumstances and motive behind the violence.
