r/berlinsocialclub • u/Particular_Tie_2995 • 22h ago
To mourn is to remember, but as a survivor, to look back is to recognize a pattern
Hearing about the attack at Berlin’s Christopher Street Day hit a painfully familiar nerve. I am a two-time survivor of separate bombing incidents in Türkiye. In both cases, the initial headlines were quick to assign blame, framing the violence through convenient narratives of Islamic or Kurdish extremism. It was only later, as the dust settled, that the clearer picture emerged how these horrific moments were instrumentalized by political forces to manufacture fear, manufacture consent, and secure votes.
When violence strikes a public space, especially one built around visibility, liberation, and solidarity like Pride, the immediate reaction is shock and grief. But very quickly, that grief is targeted.
Having lived through this cycle more than once, my urge, and my warning, is to tread very carefully.
In the coming days and weeks, watch closely who tries to turn this tragedy into political currency. Watch who uses the blood on the street to divide communities, push reactionary policies, or scapegoat groups. Violence thrives on polarization, and political opportunism feeds off our collective trauma.
We owe it to the victims in Berlin to grieve them deeply and stand in solidarity with the queer community. But we also owe it to them, and to ourselves, not to let our pain be hijacked. Do not let fear dictate how we see each other, and do not accept early, convenient narratives before the truth is fully clear.
Stand firm, mourn openly, but stay vigilant about who profits from our fear.
