Berlin attack commemoration focuses on counter-voice against hate

In Amsterdam, a commemoration for the victims of the Berlin van attack highlighted the importance of solidarity and a strong counter-voice against the hatred directed at the LGBTQ+ community. The event, held near the Homomonument, drew thousands, including Mayor Femke Halsema, state secretary Judith Tielen, and the German consul-general.

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We are there and we will remain.

Daan Colijn and Karl Krause, known for their queer travel blog Couple of Men, were present at the commemoration. They had been in Berlin celebrating Pride and participating in a protest march when the attack occurred nearby. A rental van plowed into a crowd, killing one woman and injuring 29 others before the driver attacked people with a knife. Colijn and Krause spoke emotionally about how close they were to the incident, contemplating what might have happened had they been walking just a bit further ahead in the protest march.

During the commemoration, speakers like Mayor Halsema, drag queen Jennifer Hopelezz, COC chairman Myrtille Danse, and Colijn and Krause delivered speeches. They stressed that the moment called for being "loud" and celebrating Pride "louder than ever." Hopelezz encouraged queers not to "hide" or be "intimidated" but to be present and visible. Colijn and Krause declared that "hate will not stop them" and affirmed their intention to celebrate Pride, echoing COC chairman Danse's sentiment that "love is stronger than hate."

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love is stronger than hate

The commemoration took place during Amsterdam Pride and WorldPride. The Pride Walk earlier that week was organized by the Homomonument Foundation, which also commemorates homosexuals murdered during World War II. Foundation chair Femke van Casteren described the attack as an assault on her "identity" and that of the community, prompting immediate "action mode" to gather, share emotions, and show solidarity.

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luid