Jul 30, 2026 12:21 AM
(This post was last modified: Jul 30, 2026 03:42 AM by C C.)
Where there's motivated reasoning, there's a way... 
--PRELUDE-- Trump effect hits Pride funding during increased security costs (excerpts): Spooked by President Donald Trump's crusade against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), some corporate sponsors have shunned Pride marches across the United States this year, and European LGBTQ+ campaigners say they are also taking a hit. [...] "We can certainly speak of a 'Trump effect' - as part of a global culture war against minority rights," said Marcel Voges, a board member at CSD. [...] The loss of corporate support comes at a time when Pride organisers are also facing increased security costs, said Conrad Breyer, spokesman at Munich's CSD. Last year, far-right groups tried to disrupt LGBTQ+ marches in Berlin and Leipzig. Companies are not the only ones withdrawing their money. [...] The loss of corporate support comes as LGBTQ+ people are increasingly being targeted, from Hungary's ban on Pride marches to the growing calls to restrict the rights of trans people, to Bulgaria's Russian-style law banning LGBTQ+ "propaganda". "I'm not just worried, I'm genuinely frightened about what the next four years could mean for smaller Prides like Sofia Pride," said Simeon Vasilev, chairman of the Bulgarian LGBTQ+ group GLAS Foundation.
1 dead, 29 injured in Berlin Pride terrorist attack (intro): A man drove a van into Berlin Pride festivities on Saturday night, killing one Pride-goer and injuring 16 others. Police confirmed yesterday that the suspect died in a shoot-out with officers.
Pride in Germany’s capital came to an early end on Saturday after 21-year-old Abdul Ballout, who is reportedly a supporter of the Islamic State, a militant organization also known as ISIS or ISIL, allegedly drove a rented van into the city’s Tiergarten park at around 10 p.m. before crashing into a tree. Police say that Ballout then allegedly went on a knife rampage, injuring more people, before running away.
Law enforcement conducted a manhunt for Ballout, a German citizen of Lebanese heritage, and found him at around 6 p.m. on Sunday “at an allotment garden complex in Spandau,” according to Berlin police. They said that he “ran towards officers while armed with a bladed weapon” and police opened fire on him. He died at the scene.
In total, he allegedly killed one person and injured 29 others.
“It’s one of the worst days for the queer community and a day I personally hoped I’d never have to experience,” said Pride attendee Julian Methig. “I’m shocked.”
“It is difficult for us to put into words the shock and grief of the queer community,” Alva Träbert of Federation Queer Diversity said in a statement. “Our solidarity goes out to all the victims and their families. The community’s grief now needs space to be expressed.”
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt called it a likely “Islamist terrorist attack” on Sunday, saying that investigators have not yet determined the motive...
[...] Who Was Abdul Ballout? (excerpt): Abdul B., a German citizen, traveled to Lebanon in 2025 in an unsuccessful bid to join the terrorist group, German media reported, citing police sources. He remained in pretrial detention until May 2026 and was ordered to participate in a de-radicalization program.
Sharing an update on Sunday, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the number of people injured had risen from 16 to 29, with three of them in life-threatening condition.
"Everything we are seeing here indicates that we have experienced an Islamist attack," Dobrindt said. ... The minister also warned: "We cannot rule out the possibility that further terrorist attacks might take place."
Dobrindt added that Abdul B. was born in Germany in 2005 and is of Lebanese descent. His mother became a naturalized German citizen in 2002.
Abdul B. was convicted in May of "preparing a serious act of subversive violence." However, Der Spiegel reported that he received a suspended sentence, according to German media reports. Bild reported that he was arrested in Lebanon while trying to join the Islamic State group and was later returned to Germany because he is a German citizen.
Der Spiegel reported that, a few weeks ago, authorities received a tip that Abdul B. had posted a photo online showing himself posing with what appeared to be a weapon. However, when police searched his apartment, they found only a toy replica. Officers were also deployed to the suspect's reported address, about one kilometer south of the attack site...
Suspect fatally shot ... https://youtu.be/mOoz52Kz6GU
https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/mOoz52Kz6GU
--PRELUDE-- Trump effect hits Pride funding during increased security costs (excerpts): Spooked by President Donald Trump's crusade against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), some corporate sponsors have shunned Pride marches across the United States this year, and European LGBTQ+ campaigners say they are also taking a hit. [...] "We can certainly speak of a 'Trump effect' - as part of a global culture war against minority rights," said Marcel Voges, a board member at CSD. [...] The loss of corporate support comes at a time when Pride organisers are also facing increased security costs, said Conrad Breyer, spokesman at Munich's CSD. Last year, far-right groups tried to disrupt LGBTQ+ marches in Berlin and Leipzig. Companies are not the only ones withdrawing their money. [...] The loss of corporate support comes as LGBTQ+ people are increasingly being targeted, from Hungary's ban on Pride marches to the growing calls to restrict the rights of trans people, to Bulgaria's Russian-style law banning LGBTQ+ "propaganda". "I'm not just worried, I'm genuinely frightened about what the next four years could mean for smaller Prides like Sofia Pride," said Simeon Vasilev, chairman of the Bulgarian LGBTQ+ group GLAS Foundation.
1 dead, 29 injured in Berlin Pride terrorist attack (intro): A man drove a van into Berlin Pride festivities on Saturday night, killing one Pride-goer and injuring 16 others. Police confirmed yesterday that the suspect died in a shoot-out with officers.
Pride in Germany’s capital came to an early end on Saturday after 21-year-old Abdul Ballout, who is reportedly a supporter of the Islamic State, a militant organization also known as ISIS or ISIL, allegedly drove a rented van into the city’s Tiergarten park at around 10 p.m. before crashing into a tree. Police say that Ballout then allegedly went on a knife rampage, injuring more people, before running away.
Law enforcement conducted a manhunt for Ballout, a German citizen of Lebanese heritage, and found him at around 6 p.m. on Sunday “at an allotment garden complex in Spandau,” according to Berlin police. They said that he “ran towards officers while armed with a bladed weapon” and police opened fire on him. He died at the scene.
In total, he allegedly killed one person and injured 29 others.
“It’s one of the worst days for the queer community and a day I personally hoped I’d never have to experience,” said Pride attendee Julian Methig. “I’m shocked.”
“It is difficult for us to put into words the shock and grief of the queer community,” Alva Träbert of Federation Queer Diversity said in a statement. “Our solidarity goes out to all the victims and their families. The community’s grief now needs space to be expressed.”
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt called it a likely “Islamist terrorist attack” on Sunday, saying that investigators have not yet determined the motive...
[...] Who Was Abdul Ballout? (excerpt): Abdul B., a German citizen, traveled to Lebanon in 2025 in an unsuccessful bid to join the terrorist group, German media reported, citing police sources. He remained in pretrial detention until May 2026 and was ordered to participate in a de-radicalization program.
Sharing an update on Sunday, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the number of people injured had risen from 16 to 29, with three of them in life-threatening condition.
"Everything we are seeing here indicates that we have experienced an Islamist attack," Dobrindt said. ... The minister also warned: "We cannot rule out the possibility that further terrorist attacks might take place."
Dobrindt added that Abdul B. was born in Germany in 2005 and is of Lebanese descent. His mother became a naturalized German citizen in 2002.
Abdul B. was convicted in May of "preparing a serious act of subversive violence." However, Der Spiegel reported that he received a suspended sentence, according to German media reports. Bild reported that he was arrested in Lebanon while trying to join the Islamic State group and was later returned to Germany because he is a German citizen.
Der Spiegel reported that, a few weeks ago, authorities received a tip that Abdul B. had posted a photo online showing himself posing with what appeared to be a weapon. However, when police searched his apartment, they found only a toy replica. Officers were also deployed to the suspect's reported address, about one kilometer south of the attack site...
Suspect fatally shot ... https://youtu.be/mOoz52Kz6GU