Hundreds of thousands attend Pride events in UK and mainland Europe after deadly Berlin attack

Hundreds of thousands of people have taken part in Pride events in the UK and mainland Europe, a week after a deadly extremist attack on a Pride festival in Berlin.

A woman was killed and 29 other people were injured in the German capital late last Saturday when a van was driven into a crowd before the suspected attacker carried out several stabbings.

The 21-year-old suspect, Abdul Ballout, a German citizen with Islamist connections, was shot dead in a confrontation with police the following day.

This Saturday was the first of two days of the UK's biggest Pride festival, taking place on the south coast.

Around 300,000 people were expected to take part or watch the parade in Brighton.

More than 150 LGBT+ acts were set to perform over the weekend at Brighton and Hove Pride, along with headliners Diana Ross and Raye.

Festival organisers said the Berlin attack would be a "real focal point" of the event.

Managing director Paul Kemp said he knew the community were thinking of the people affected, and "we are coming out and we are not going away".

Mr Kemp said: "I think it's kind of poignant because this year our parade is the 35th anniversary, it's the power of love and I think it's really focused minds from a community perspective and the general climate of the feeling that LGBT rights are being rolled back."

The Pride boss also said it was the right decision for Sussex Police to include armed police as part of safety, as they have in previous years, because it is a "reassurance".

The force said firearms officers were among uniformed and plain-clothed officers working at the event, which was "standard practice for events of this scale".

Meanwhile, about 300,000 people reportedly attended Hamburg's Pride parade which is one of the biggest in Germany. The number was up by 40,000 compared with 2025.

Around twice as many police officers as last year were on duty in the port city and the event's motto was "Queer in solidarity. Take a stand - for a future without fear".

Among the dozens of trucks taking part was one representing the Berlin Pride event.

People on that truck wore dark clothing as a sign of respect for the victims of the recent attack.

In Amsterdam, hundreds of thousands of revellers lined the canals on Saturday for the flagship event of ​WorldPride.

The Dutch city was chosen by Pride organisers to host this year's WorldPride ​as it marks 25 years since it hosted the globe's first legally recognised same-sex marriage.

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The slogan for the two weeks of events across the ⁠Netherlands is "Unity".

Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten, the country's first openly gay prime minister, was among those who attended, while police officers patrolled on bicycles, on jet skis, in ‌boats and in cars, helping ensure the event passed off safely.

Following the Berlin attack, mayor Femke Halsema said Amsterdam would take unspecified extra measures.

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