Jewish LGBTQ+ leaders reject ‘collective blame’ after Berlin Pride terror attack

A Jewish LGBTQ+ organisation whose members marched at Berlin Pride before Saturday’s deadly Islamist terror attack has urged European leaders to confront violent extremism while rejecting attempts to blame entire communities.

Keshet Europe, which was holding its annual network summit in the German capital, issued the statement after one woman was killed and at least 29 people were injured when a man drove a rented van into crowds near the Christopher Street Day (CSD) celebrations before carrying out a knife attack.

German authorities later identified the suspect as 21-year-old Islamist Abdul Ballout, a German citizen of Lebanese heritage. Police shot him dead on Sunday following a manhunt.

The attack took place on the same weekend that Keshet Europe had brought together Jewish LGBTQ+ activists from across the continent for its annual summit in Berlin.

In a statement, the organisation said: “Within a few hours of the tragedy that occurred at CSD, we had already witnessed attempts by politicians across the political spectrum to instrumentalise this attack for their own agendas. We reject this unequivocally.”

Drawing on Jewish experience, it added: “As Jews, we know all too well the consequences of collective blame. We stand in solidarity with Muslim communities, racialised people, migrants and asylum seekers, and reject any attempt to exploit this tragedy to fuel racism and anti-migrant rhetoric.”

At the same time, Keshet Europe said violent extremism must be tackled decisively.

“We recognise that all forms of violent extremism and radicalisation pose a real threat to the safety of our communities and must be addressed with determination, while upholding human rights and rejecting collective blame.”

Calling for a united response, the organisation said: “These are not attacks on one community alone: they are attacks on democracy, diversity, and the fundamental right of every minority community to live openly and safely.”

It urged governments across Europe to move “beyond statements of solidarity” and take practical action to protect LGBTQIA+ people and other minority groups, warning: “Our safety cannot depend on chance.”

Keshet Europe concluded: “We will continue to stand together, march together, and defend a Europe where everyone can live openly, safely, and with dignity.”

The attack has also sparked political debate in Germany after it emerged Ballout had been released from custody only weeks earlier despite a terrorism-related conviction.

According to German prosecutors, Ballout travelled to Lebanon in 2025 in an attempt to join Islamic State before returning to Germany, where he was convicted of preparing a serious act of violence endangering the state. In May this year, he received a juvenile sentence of one year and 10 months, but it was suspended while prosecutors appealed for a tougher punishment.

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt described the decision to suspend the sentence as “certainly incomprehensible” given the level of danger Ballout posed, while Chancellor Friedrich Merz had pledged to review how high-risk extremist suspects are monitored after their release.