27/07/2026
On Monday evening, Munich commemorated the victims of BerlinPride with a simple yet moving ceremony and a number of brief messages of solidarity. Around 4,000 people gathered at Marienplatz, which was decorated with rainbow flags.
One after another, Alexander Kluge, managing director of MunichPride, Mona Fuchs, deputy mayor of the state capital, and Leonie L. from Strong!, the Bavaria-wide LGBTIQ* centre against discrimination and violence, spoke at the venue.
“Our thoughts are with the injured, the relatives and friends of the person who was killed, and with those who had to witness the events,” Alex said. He expressed Munich’s solidarity with BerlinPride and the q***r community in Berlin. “Today we mourn and we stand together.”
The city’s deputy mayor described the incomprehensible: “For many, especially young people, Pride is the very first place where they realise they are not alone. And it is precisely this place that should have offered protection and safety.” It failed to do so.
In her speech that followed, Mona called for a minute’s silence, whereupon the entire square fell silent instantly – a powerful sign of shared remembrance.
The politician also quoted from the open letter that Lord Mayor Dominik Krause had sent to his counterpart in Berlin. In it, he expresses his sincere sympathy and deep compassion to all those “affected, on behalf of the state capital”. It was he who, without further ado, had the Marienplatz decked out in rainbow flags on Sunday.
Finally, in her speech, Leonie described how it was now essential to stand together. “An attack like this is directed against us all. Pride is not just a party, but always a struggle and a statement against discrimination and in support of q***r rights. That is why it is important that we now close ranks and support one another.”
This also means that we must not allow ourselves to be exploited to fuel other forms of hatred and exclusion or to divide our community. “This hatred aims to frighten us. To make us invisible. We must not respond by retreating. We will continue to stand up for one another, remain visible and keep fighting for a society in which no one has to be afraid to live and love as we are.”
The musical performance by Piana Electric brought the commemoration to a close. Piana sang “Somewhere over the rainbow” and moved hundreds with her clear voice. Many of the 4,000 attendees took the opportunity to lay flowers and greeting cards.
Photos: Thomas Kaiser
