London vigil honours victims of Berlin Pride attack as LGBTQ+ leaders vow ‘we will not be frightened back into the shadows’

LGBTQ+ community leaders, campaigners and politicians gathered in London this week to remember those killed and injured in the attack on Berlin’s Christopher Street Day celebrations, standing in solidarity with Germany’s LGBTQ+ community and reaffirming their commitment to Pride.

The vigil took place just days after the attack at Berlin’s annual Pride event. Attendees came together to pay tribute to the victims and send a message of unity in the face of anti-LGBTQ+ violence.

Among those speaking at the event were Stonewall chair Olivia Campbell-Cavendish, Pride in London co-chief executive Rebecca Paisis and London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

Stonewall chief executive Simon Blake said the gathering demonstrated the resilience of LGBTQ+ communities in the face of hatred and attempts to intimidate them. “Acts of hate are a deliberate attempt to frighten and divide us,” he said.

“As a lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer community we cannot be divided and we cannot be frightened back into the shadows. We deserve to take up space, we deserve love and we deserve to go home.”

The vigil comes at a time of heightened concern about rising anti-LGBTQ+ hostility across Europe and beyond. Speakers stressed that attacks targeting LGBTQ+ people are intended to create fear, but said the response must be one of solidarity and visibility.

Stonewall said the events of the past week had underlined why Pride remains as important as ever. “An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us,” the organisation said in a statement following the vigil.

“The past week has shown us precisely why we need Pride.”

The charity reaffirmed its commitment to campaigning for a future where LGBTQ+ people can live openly and safely, free from discrimination and violence.

“At Stonewall, we will not stop until every LGBTQ+ person can live openly and be free without fear,” the organisation said.